22 ROYAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BLIND PEOPLE’S (RNIB) REDHILL SITE, SURREY
and then the design of the building typolo- gies themselves were adapted to suit the local conditions in terms of levels.” Manifesting this, there are a number of dwellings in the scheme that either step up or down the hill, taking up the level changes within the buildings themselves. In doing so, the public realm will remain fully acces- sible. Achieving this of course has involved a lot of earthworks and retaining walls. The material palette of the buildings are another factor that helps to create a sense of zoning. The Tudor House for example is a red brick structure with pitched roofs, and so the buildings in that location have been specified to reflect that character of build- ing and materiality, while in other areas, the materiality changes to suit the given location. “As you move down towards what we
call The Oaks, we’ve got a number of contemporary flat roofed houses, and then up on what we termed Hawthorn Hill in the eastern quarter – which is the first phase of the development – is more of a rural aesthetic with slate tile hanging and pitched roofs again,” explains the architect. The landscaping changes as befits the different zones too. As residents and passers by move through the different zones, they will experience varied planting and treat- ments to signify a certain area.
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Not only for aesthetic reasons, the archi- tects have used landscaping to design what they call a “sensory trail,” which runs east- west across the development. This is essentially a pedestrianised footpath, but one that has been designed with various changes in texture and planting so that, as residents pass through the site, they are made aware of where they are via different sensory clues. Further to this, there are also some physical features that add to this sense of place. These include a sensory garden in the south east of the site, and the Chapel Gateway, a retained part of a chapel bombed during the Second World War. “We’ve kept that as part of the landscape treatment within the site,” explains the architect, “so it becomes a navigational wayfinder as you move through.”
Sensitive, but inclusive The architects have included many more design considerations for the RNIB residents to add to the sensory trail, following what Manoher says are “best practice principles for the blind and the partially sighted.”
“One of the key things is maximising natural daylight,” he continues, explaining what may seem a counter-intuitive idea. “Good lighting is really important for
ADF JUNE 2019
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