A supported housing development helping people move on from homelessness in Manchester has won an award – including a special standout category – at the UK Housing Design Awards.
Clover House in Ardwick was awarded a Completed scheme award, and was also presented with the prestigious Richard Feilden Award, for its outstanding social value.
This achievement places Clover House, a 24-home supported housing development on Devonshire Street, among the very best examples of housing design in the UK and shines a spotlight on the role that high-quality, affordable housing can play in tackling homelessness.
Delivered by Jigsaw Homes Group in partnership with DK Architects, RP Tyson Construction and Manchester City Council, the scheme provides fully furnished one-bedroom apartments for social rent for people who have experienced, or are at risk of, homelessness.
It was funded through a partnership including the Government’s Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme, Homes England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority Brownfield Fund.
Clover House impressed the panel of 12 judges who visited the scheme in person and spoke to residents. They found the completed development lived up to the quality and ambition of its original resident-focused design, adherence to the design manual and influence on other developments.
Judges, including the Housing Design Awards Director David Birkbeck, described Clover House as one of the best schemes they had seen, recognising its exceptional quality and responsiveness to residents’ needs.
The scheme was previously recognised as a winner in the 2025 Housing Design Awards Project category – and only one in three Project winners go on to receive a Completed award.
At the ceremony in London, Jigsaw Homes Group’s Land and New Business Manager Richard King collected the award for Clover House, alongside Dave Dickerson, Director at DK-Architects and Philip Helm, Business Development Director at Tyson Construction.
The success comes as Greater Manchester continues its ambition to end rough sleeping and homelessness. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has championed a housing-led approach to tackling homelessness across the city-region.
Designed with input from people with lived experience of homelessness, Clover House combines safe, affordable accommodation with tailored on-site support provided by Jigsaw Support, to help residents build confidence, improve wellbeing and progress towards independent living.
The development includes communal facilities, landscaped gardens, cycle storage and dedicated support and meeting spaces, while achieving an EPC A rating through a fabric-first design, solar panels and heat pump technology.
Clover House is just one of seven supported housing schemes delivered by Jigsaw over the last three years with 119 flats provided, including at Stork Mews in Wigan, Cavendish House in Tameside and The Foundry in Oldham.
Brian Moran, Chief Executive of Jigsaw Homes Group, said: “Winning a UK Housing Design Award is a fantastic achievement and a proud moment not only for Jigsaw, but for Greater Manchester.
“Clover House shows what can be achieved when partners come together with a shared purpose. Every aspect of the development – and the tailored support provided – has been designed to help people who have experienced homelessness feel safe, valued and supported as they rebuild their lives. We believe everyone deserves a high-quality home, regardless of their circumstances, and this award recognises that ambition.”
Dave Dickerson said: “We are so pleased that Clover House has been recognised with a prestigious national housing design award. The elegant design balances the importance of a key corner site with a desire to create a distinctly domestic scale building that feels settled within the wider neighbourhood. The judges commended the deft design touches throughout the building that support resident needs and help Jigsaw deliver life changing opportunities.”
Philip Helm added: “We’re really proud of Clover House and what we’ve delivered together. It’s a fantastic building, but more importantly it’s somewhere people can feel safe, settled and begin to move forward with their lives. To see it recognised nationally is brilliant and thoroughly deserved.”
The Housing Design Awards is the longest-running residential design competition in the UK, established in 1948 by Aneurin Bevan to recognise the best new places to live and to celebrate design, planning, construction and environmental sustainability.
They are supported by major built environment institutions, including the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), alongside government departments Homes England and MHCLG.
