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An contemporary take of the historic almshouse, expressly planned to reduce solitude, has received a esteemed architecture accolade for Britain's top new building.

The Appleby Blue development, which supplies low-cost apartments for over-65s in Southwark, has won this year's Royal Institute of British Architects' (Riba) Stirling Prize.

The development, situated in Bermondsey, boasts 59 residences along with communal spaces, including a roof garden, outdoor courtyard and shared kitchen.

The Stirling Prize committee said it "establishes an high standard for social housing targeting seniors".

The architectural team Witherford Watson Mann have crafted "excellent" and "well-planned" areas to establish environments that truly support their residents", as stated by a panelist.

This development was applauded for its "spacious" homes, terracotta-tiled corridors with seating and foliage, and a water feature that imparts the building the "atmosphere of a natural sanctuary".

That establishes an "inspiring residential setting" that exists "sharply opposed to the clinical feel typically linked to older people's accommodation".

This Appleby Blue Almshouse was constructed on the location of an former nursing home by a charitable organization, which supports the apartments for residents on modest means.

Community residences were traditionally constructed from the Middle Ages to offer benevolent shelter for people in need.

The winning project beat a range of other nominated projects and design endeavors to win this year's Stirling Prize, including the renovation of the iconic clock tower in London to a new design school, a research facility and an "creative" residential expansion.

These remaining candidates were:

• The renovated historic clock tower
• Hastings House

The award is presented to the building deemed to be "the most influential of the year for the progress of architecture and the urban landscape", and is evaluated on factors like design vision, creativity and originality.

This is the architectural firm's second occasion as winning professionals, a dozen years after they were picked for their concept for a pioneering current holiday home inside the historic heritage building in that region.

A important public works initiative - the capital's east-west train line - secured the esteemed prize the previous year.

Additional earlier winners of the award - originally given in 1996 - feature Liverpool's performance space, coastal landmark and the Scottish Parliament building in the Scottish capital.