Award for intergenerational living scheme
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Melfield Gardens – the pioneering intergenerational living scheme in Lewisham – is the winner of the HAPPI Design Award at the 2026 Housing Design Awards.
The Melfield Gardens development
The scheme, launched by Goldsmiths and Phoenix Community Housing last year, sees students live in shared flats alongside one-bedroom flats for residents aged 55+. There’s a communal garden room and outdoor area to promote socialising, and the students commit to spending time with their neighbours in return for subsidised rent, supporting community development and combatting loneliness. The development also meets the highly sustainable Passivhaus Standard.
The scheme, designed to the 'HAPPI' (Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation) principles, featured in a new parliamentary report on the benefits of intergenerational community.
The Housing Design Awards are represented by the UK's leading housing bodies and recognise schemes that set the standard for design quality, placemaking and resident experience.
Dr Marl’ene Edwin, Academic Lead for the Equity Awards, attended the awards ceremony on behalf of Goldsmiths with Joquan Johnson, PhD student in the School of Music, English and Theatre, who was one of the first student residents at the ground-breaking scheme.
Dr Marl'ene Edwin
PhD student Joquan Johnson
I am so extremely proud that Goldsmiths’ Equity Scholars are a part of this exciting, creative initiative. Our students have so much to give to their communities, and this initiative allows them to share their passions, skills and interests with their neighbours, building up community ties and a sense of belonging as they do.
Dr Marl’ene Edwin, Academic Lead for the Equity Awards
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Annabel Kiernan said, "It’s fantastic to see Melfield Gardens recognised with this award. This scheme encapsulates how thinking differently can lead to really special outcomes. It may not be the classic student accommodation set-up, but living in this development offers our students a chance to learn about community values and from their neighbours in an extraordinary intergenerational environment, alongside their academic learning on campus."
Watch a video about the development on the Housing Design Awards site.