RIBA reveals four-strong shortlist for UK's best affordable housing for 2026
The Royal Institute of British Architects has announced its shortlist for the Neave Brown Award for Housing 2026, which includes the expansion of a 1970s housing estate with 46 homes for social rent in London.
Also in London, a landscape-led residential development spanning five brick buildings and a 100 per cent affordable housing block bordering a woodland are among this year's shortlisted projects.
A housing complex in Glasgow combining stacked maisonettes, apartments and terraced homes also made the list.
Awarded annually, the Neave Brown Award for Housing recognises the UK's best new affordable housing. It is named in honour of British social housing pioneer Neave Brown.
The three London-based projects are Rowan Court by Satish Jassal Architects, Lion Green Road by Mary Duggan Architects with RUFF Architects and Canada Water Plot K1 by Morris+Company with White Ink.
The fourth project, located in Glasgow, is St Andrew's Drive Phases 2 & 3 by Jmarchitects.
This year's jury is chaired by associate director at Witherford Watson Mann architects Helen Lee, who praised the projects' delivery of "beautiful and enduring places to live".
"This year's shortlist for the Neave Brown Award for Housing celebrates four exceptionally high-quality affordable housing projects built in the UK recently; each reflecting Neave Brown's belief in community-focused and contextually responsive architecture," Lee said.
"The jury deliberated for some time over a very strong pool of eligible projects but were unanimous in championing the shortlisted projects," she continued.
"This year's shortlisted projects each respond skilfully to the unique urban challenges of their sites, creating beautiful and enduring places to live, supporting communities to grow and evolve," Lee added.
Satish Jassal Architects' Rowan Court oversaw the expansion of a 1970s council estate in Haringey to create 31 apartments, 11 townhouses and four wheelchair-accessible homes – all of which are for social rent.
In Croydon, Lion Green Road by Mary Duggan Architects and RUFF Architects provides 157 homes between five brick buildings designed to optimise access to the surrounding verdant landscape.
Morris+Company and White Ink designed the Canada Water Plot K1 development to reflect its position beside a woodland in south east London, organising its 79 homes around a central courtyard.
In Glasgow, St Andrew's Drive Phases 2 & 3 by Jmarchitects replaces a 1960s block with a collection of 120 new homes that share a green space.
The winner of the Neave Brown Award for Housing will be announced at the RIBA Stirling Prize ceremony on 15 October in London.
The RIBA also recently announced its six-strong shortlist for this year's Stirling Prize, which includes Renzo Piano Building Workshop's cube-shaped Paddington Square. It also recently named 32 buildings the best British buildings of 2026, over half of which were in London.
The photography is by Jack Hobhouse unless otherwise stated.
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