Hassett Leyden Flynn has taken the Social Impact Award at the Building and Architect of the Year Awards 2026, earning recognition for a housing development that places the wellbeing, independence, and social connection of its residents at the centre of every design decision.

The Clon Road and An tÁrd Housing Developments in Ennis, Co. Clare presented the judges with architecture that goes beyond the functional brief. The panel commended the practice for "delivering clear and meaningful social value through thoughtful and inclusive design," noting that the project supports older and disabled residents with a sustained focus on independence, wellbeing, and social connection. 

That combination of priorities resident dignity, community cohesion, and long-term liveability is precisely what the Social Impact Award exists to honour, and few entries this year made the case as clearly or as convincingly.

The transformation of an underused site into a development of this quality speaks to both the ambition of the design team and the clarity of their social intent. Rather than treating inclusivity as a compliance requirement, Hassett Leyden Flynn embedded it as a design principle from the outset, producing spaces that are safe, shared, and genuinely accessible to those who need them most. 

The careful attention to shared outdoor spaces, circulation routes, and the scale of individual dwellings reflects a practice that understands how the built environment shapes daily life for its most vulnerable users, and takes that responsibility seriously.

In doing so, the practice has delivered something that extends well beyond the boundary of the development itself, strengthening the social fabric of the wider Ennis community and offering a model for how housing architecture can serve those most in need of considered, dignified design.

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