Colliers Gardens in Bristol is a world away from the red-brick buildings typically associated with sheltered housing.

Externally, it is a stylish combination of timber, glass, white stucco and aluminium. Internally, the private rooms and communal spaces are light, airy and generously proportioned. The flats are arranged in two-storey wings connected by a wide ‘street’, creating a sequence of small-scale indoor and outdoor courtyards. The ‘high street’ offers facilities such as a hairdresser, launderette and health centre.

Housing association Brunelcare worked closely with architects Penoyre and Prasad to get the details just right. The site rises by 1.5 m front to back and this is incorporated as series of terraces connected by 1 in 20 ramps, which add to the organic character associated with streets rather than corridors.

The scheme has won two prestigious national design awards – one for the Best Affordable Housing Scheme in the Housing Design Awards 2006, and another for the Best Retirement Development in the National Homebuilder Design Awards.

Residents say they love it. “It’s so lovely here. It’s like being in a hotel,” says Moira Symmons, 81. “My flat is huge. Since I moved in I’ve never been happier.”