FURNITURE, INTERIORS & DESIGN
Building Better Futures
Drawing on experience developing specialist housing development The Elms, Mura Mullan, Director at JDDK Architects, explores how a collaborative approach to delivering extra care housing developments means that architects can work closely with partners to ensure the design helps residents live life to the fullest.
Countries across the globe are grappling with a challenge that universally impacts all members of society – how to adapt to caring for an ageing population. Thanks to advancements in healthcare, we are lucky to be seeing life expectancies rise to an all-time high, which means our current systems and facilities for supporting the elderly are in urgent need of adaptation to ensure everyone can enjoy the senior years of their lives.
Feeling the pressures of change more than most sectors is healthcare, and the housing providers of extra care facilities, as the ageing population places increasing demand on their services. Extra care facilities are a beacon of light for people who have outgrown their private homes and require special support for their care needs, finding new homes in residences alongside peers with similar needs. These spaces are cherished by residents who have found community in their specially designed accommodations, but building enough of these facilities is a challenge for housing developers across the UK.
THE ELMS, COUNTY DURHAM
The Elms is a specialist housing development for the over 55s in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, which has been widely praised as an example of best practice in its field.
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The £6.5m scheme for Cestria Housing, now part of the ISOS Group, and ran by Karbon Homes, consists of 52 apartments and six bungalows, for rent, sale and shared ownership, all designed specifically for people aged 55 and over who require support with their care or housing. These spaces are where residents will likely live for the rest of their lives or until their care needs change. Changing needs are a huge challenge for the providers, as they have to carefully manage the process of altering living spaces in line with varying care needs, which can be challenging for residents facing sudden change.
We delivered the project with user enjoyment in mind, making the highly popular living spaces a joy for residents. Dementia units on the ground floor are joined together by one of the two internal courtyards. These dementia unit apartments are designed to M1 regulations that ensure accessibility with adjustable furniture that can move to heights that fit the needs of the residents. The independent apartments each feature a living space, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and hallway, with two access points – one linked to the main building and another private access point that supports independence. The layout is designed to have no dead-ends, removing any element of challenge for residents with easy wayfinding.
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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