FURNITURE & INTERIORS Building a Better Future
Designing and engineering care homes and retirement villages require an expert level of knowledge of your audience. Here Chris Smaller, Technical Director at
structural and civil engineering practice Thomasons, offers his perspective and advice on the subject.
FIRST THINGS FIRST The 55+ generation is on the rise, as are those afflicted with dementia, and the architecture and structure of the building(s) needs to account for the needs and aspirations of this demographic. Sometimes it can be easy to overcomplicate matters- what look like the most nuanced problems oſten have simple (and obvious) solutions. Nowhere can this be truer than in the design and engineering of care homes for older people and retirement villages.
This comment is not meant to detract from the importance of such buildings and the pressing need for more of them, especially as we face the challenges of an ageing general population with a greater longevity. We should not assign such projects as special cases when we come to providing engineering consultancy. We should adopt the same approach as we would to the construction of, for example, a civic building, school or hospital.
This brings us neatly to a fundamental truth: a structure exists primarily to hold up a building, regardless of the project. You need to take into account everything from foot weight and drainage to acoustic and thermal mass. The finished article, above all else, needs to be fit for purpose. All the essentials need to be in place, creating a robust canvas and base coat on which the details can be added.
Crucially, you need good knowledge of the site chosen for the build, and an understanding of the potential restrictions. This includes administrative considerations, such as planning permission and the quality/make-up of the land.
For example, we are currently working on a challenging build for Retirement Villages’ latest venture, Bury Water Lane in Saffron Walden, Essex, where the location had a direct influence on the final designs. Set on a relatively steep hill, provisions needed to be made from the start for the project’s buildings to be split-level divided (at the changes in level) with retaining walls.
An obvious consideration, you might think. However, as with any structure, it’s tempting to become distracted by the finer details before the rudimentary elements have been considered. This can lead to time-consuming and costly rectifications down the line. Getting the basics right early is essential. As such, careful planning well in advance of construction is also key.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE Establishing the basic principles allows you to take a more focused look at the audience, in this case older people. Any experienced architect in this field will account for a number of criteria specific to pensioners and will have specified infrastructure to suit the demographic.
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www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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