Best healthy homes development – urban

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Melfield Gardens – a social rent development in south London from 7,600-home association Phoenix Community Housing – is the first intentionally intergenerational development to be built by any housing association in the UK.

 

A highly sustainable scheme designed to the Passivhaus standard, Melfield Gardens provides 30 independent living homes for people aged 55 and over, and two four-bedroom homes for students attending Goldsmiths University. This symbiotic vision of intergenerational living incorporates student accommodation at a reduced rate in exchange for volunteering a small number of hours each month to socially engage with the older residents.

 

This approach tackles loneliness, promotes well-being and creates a mutually supportive community. Communal spaces and flexible layouts encourage interaction while enabling residents to age in place.

 

This scheme also provides an opportunity for residents to downsize and free up family-sized homes for households on the Lewisham housing waiting list. Seventeen Phoenix residents have downsized to homes in Melfield Gardens, potentially freeing up 51 homes through a chain lettings process and helping to meet the housing needs of the local community. 

 

The judges said:

“A fantastic idea to link students’ volunteering time with engaging with older residents – an excellent way to combat loneliness. It’s also excellent that these homes are built to Passivhaus standard”