Key Points
- Haringey Council’s Rowan Court housing scheme in Seven Sisters has won the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Neave Brown Award 2026 for the best new affordable housing scheme in the UK.
- The development delivers 46 high-quality council homes made available for social rent, catering directly to local families.
- Designed by Satish Jassal Architects, the project successfully transformed a challenging and previously underused site.
- Cllr Jo Kuper, Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality, accepted the award alongside lead architect Satish Jassal.
- The achievement adds to Rowan Court’s growing collection of accolades, following a RIBA London Award 2026, a Housing Design Award 2025, and a Civic Trust Award 2026.
Haringey Council (North London News) October 22, 2026 – What makes Haringey Council’s latest housing development an award-winning example of UK public architecture? In a major national recognition for local authority housing projects, Rowan Court—a newly built 46-home council scheme situated in Seven Sisters, North London—has been officially named the best new affordable housing scheme in the United Kingdom after winning the RIBA Neave Brown Award 2026. Designed by the London-based practice Satish Jassal Architects, the development successfully reconfigured a previously underused and geographically constrained site into a residential hub providing social rent homes for local households. The national accolade was formally accepted by Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality, Cllr Jo Kuper, alongside the project’s lead architect Satish Jassal.
How Has Rowan Court Achieved Architectural Excellence in Social Rent Housing?
The RIBA Neave Brown Award, named in honour of the late modernist architect and social housing pioneer Neave Brown, specifically evaluates completed UK residential projects that successfully fuse design quality with living standards for social and affordable rent. In securing the top honour, Rowan Court surpassed competitors nationwide by addressing urban infill challenges while maintaining high standards of environmental sustainability and community utility.
As reported by official council communications on behalf of Haringey Council, Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality Cllr Jo Kuper highlighted the broader significance of the accolade during the ceremony:
“This award is a fantastic achievement and national recognition of our commitment to delivering high-quality council homes for local people.”
Cllr Jo Kuper further stated that
“Rowan Court shows that council housing can be architecturally ambitious, environmentally sustainable and designed around the needs of residents.”
Expanding on the operational and social impact of the completed Seven Sisters site, Cllr Jo Kuper noted that
“as well as providing 46 genuinely affordable homes for social rent, the development has transformed an underused site into a thriving community where residents can put down roots and build their futures.”
What Previous Honours Has the Satish Jassal Architects Scheme Received?
The national RIBA Neave Brown Award 2026 marks the culmination of an extensive series of industry recognitions for the Rowan Court development over the past two years. Before securing this national accolade, the Seven Sisters project was incrementally evaluated and praised across multiple regional and national design assessment panels.
Prior to winning the 2026 Neave Brown Award, Rowan Court received the following major architecture and civic distinctions:
- Housing Design Award 2025: Recognising early design intent, urban integration, and site planning efficiency.
- Civic Trust Award 2026: Awarded for positive civic impact, accessibility, and contribution to the local neighbourhood infrastructure.
- RIBA London Award 2026: Bestowed by the Royal Institute of British Architects during regional judging, which qualified the project for national award categories.
The site itself was designed by Satish Jassal Architects with an emphasis on navigating a restricted urban plot. The architectural approach converted the underutilised land into a high-density footprint without sacrificing light, communal open space, or structural longevity.
Background of the Particular Development
The development of Rowan Court forms part of Haringey Council’s wider housebuilding programme, initiated to address persistent local housing shortages and extensive waiting lists for social rent within the borough. Like many inner London local authorities, Haringey has faced an ongoing requirement for high-density, genuinely affordable family accommodation on constrained urban brownfield sites.
Named in memory of Neave Brown—the only architect whose entire body of built work in the UK is Grade II or II* listed, famous for his iconic Alexandra Road estate in Camden—the RIBA Neave Brown Award was established to elevate the standard of public-sector and housing-association developments. Rowan Court’s progression from an underused council asset to a nationally recognized architectural model reflects a shift across British local government back towards municipal housebuilding. By directly commissioning bespoke architecture firms like Satish Jassal Architects, local authorities aim to prove that municipal housing can achieve equal or superior design rigor compared to private sector developments.
Prediction: How Will This Development Affect Local Residents and Public Sector Housing?
The national recognition of Rowan Court is anticipated to impact several key stakeholder groups across the London Borough of Haringey and the wider housing sector:
- For Local Families and Residents: The completion and recognition of Rowan Court ensure that 46 local households secure long-term, genuinely affordable social rent tenures. Beyond shelter, the emphasis on resident-focused design, energy efficiency, and high-quality communal space reduces long-term operational running costs (such as heating bills) for occupants, offering residential stability in Seven Sisters.
- For Haringey Council: Winning the RIBA Neave Brown Award 2026 validates the council’s direct-delivery housing strategy. This high-profile endorsement is likely to strengthen political and public support for upcoming municipal housebuilding projects on similar infill sites across the borough.
- For the Architectural and Construction Industry: Rowan Court serves as a benchmark for how urban infill and brownfield sites can be redeveloped without compromising on space or aesthetic standards. The success of Satish Jassal Architects’ design will likely encourage other UK local councils to commission ambitious, bespoke architectural designs for small or difficult plots rather than relying on standardized suburban templates.
