Southwark (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Mae has submitted plans for a 71-home Passivhaus almshouse scheme in Southwark, marking significant sustainable housing proposal under review by planners.
The 2023 Stirling Prize winner’s ideas for Southwark Charities will replace a 41-home almshouse in Bermondsey with a brand-new, six-story complex that would be entirely affordable.
According to Mae, the current three-story structure, St. Mary Newington Close, was finished in 1969 but now requires “significant investment” to bring it up to current regulatory standards.
Whitby Wood, a structural engineer, looked at the viability of keeping and enlarging the current structure but came to the conclusion that the plan would have restricted the quantity of new almshouses that could be built.
Every home in the proposed plan will be dual-aspect, have a minimum floor area of 55 square meters, and be categorized as inexpensive.
The project is the second of two almshouse projects by Southwark Charities; the first is 220 Blackfriars Road, an almshouse site near Southwark station that was redeveloped using an EPR design.
The Edward Edwards House almshouse will be replaced by 64 new almshouses and a 22-story office skyscraper under this plan, which is presently being constructed by JRL. When it is finished in 2028, the current residents of St. Mary Newington Close will move to 220 Blackfriars Road.
The Witherford Watson Mann-designed later living plan Appleby Blue, which received the 2025 Stirling Prize in October, is now home to the former occupants of 220 Blackfriars Road prior to the site’s redevelopment.
Development manager Pelican Development Management Limited, QS, project manager Gardiner & Theobald, planning and heritage consultant Turley, structural and civil engineer Whitby Wood, landscape architect MRG Studio, fire engineer Jensen Hughes, and transport consultant TTP comprise the St Mary Newington Close project team.
How will the scheme address local affordable housing needs?
Mae’s 71- home Passivhaus almshouse scheme in Bermondsey addresses Southwark’s affordable casing requirements by furnishing subsidized, energy-effective homes specifically for aged low- income residers who can not pierce request- rate options, replacing outdated being almshouses with ultramodern, sustainable units.
Almshouses operate on a charitable model where rents are set at sub-market situations generally covering conservation and service charges only making them accessible to original people in casing need without reliance on casing benefits.
The Passivhaus design reduces energy costs for residents by over to 90, easing fiscal burdens amid rising bills and supporting Southwark Council’s pretensions for low- carbon, inclusive casing. Collaborative spaces and auditoriums further enhance community cohesion for vulnerable groups, aligning with original strategies to save and expand affordable stock in high- demand areas like Bermondsey.
