Sam McMillan’s Red Cross Mews is a student housing project focused on intergenerational living, community life and adaptable residential design near Borough Market.
The strength of the project is that it treats housing as social infrastructure. The question is not only how the homes are arranged, but how residents meet, share space and feel part of a wider neighbourhood.
A housing project with a social purpose
Red Cross Mews explores mixed-use social housing for intergenerational residents. That gives the project a clear human brief: different ages, different routines and different levels of independence need to work together.
The project also sits near Borough Market, so the context is already layered with food, visitors, work, movement and city life. A strong housing response in that setting needs to feel connected without losing privacy.
What the project is trying to do
- Support intergenerational residents rather than one narrow household type.
- Use shared space to build community without forcing interaction.
- Keep the housing adaptable as residents’ needs change.
- Connect residential life to the wider Borough Market context.
- Use sustainable ideas such as green roofs and energy-conscious design.
Portfolio lesson from Red Cross Mews
A housing portfolio needs to show the reader who the project is for. Plans and diagrams matter, but the project becomes easier to understand when the resident story is clear.
Housing project checklist
For student housing projects, make these points obvious in the portfolio or showcase page.
- Who lives here?
- What shared spaces support daily life?
- How does the site shape the housing strategy?
- What changes over time as residents’ needs change?
- What makes the project useful beyond a nice elevation?
Architecture Social view
Stephen’s recruiter view is that residential projects can be very strong in an early portfolio when they show empathy and clarity. The reader should understand the household, the site and the social purpose quickly.
Share your student housing project
If your project explores housing, community, retrofit or urban life, Architecture Social Showcase can help present it to a wider architecture audience.
- Explain the brief and resident group.
- Show the project idea before the technical detail.
- Use captions that help readers understand the drawings.
- Keep the work project-led, not just CV-led.
If this project has made you rethink your own portfolio or next move, browse current architecture jobs or contact Architecture Social for a recruiter’s view.
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