Sustainable building design
Tanworth Court: where design meets the highest level of care
Marcus Spencer, technical director, and Tanya Jenkins, associate engineer, both of British consultancy ONE Creative Environments, and Tony Marinou, architect at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, explain how an innovative and collaborative approach to sustainable design resulted in an award-winning dementia care facility
ONE Creative environments’ (ONE’s) engineers were commissioned by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s architectural team to provide a solution for a highly sustainable and efficient two-storey, sixty-bed care facility. The new development needed to set the tone for sustainability and be an exemplar building for the council in supporting people living with dementia that would inform further development. Solihull was in urgent need of suitable mental health facilities due to an aging community. Current facilities were operating at capacity and needed significant improvements. The decision was made to develop the site at Tanworth Lane, Shirley, into a purpose-built dementia care facility in accordance with current best practice and following guidance from studies conducted by Stirling University. The architectural solution from Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council worked in perfect harmony with ONE’s engineering disciplines for this award-winning project. ONE’s team played a key role in the application of sustainable features through their in-house accredited low carbon consultancy services, which offer long term benefits in terms of cost and performance for both the owner and occupiers.
The architectural solution The vision for Tanworth Court was one of a purpose-built, cost-effective dementia nursing home that sets the standard for outstanding yet affordable care home provision. Local authority financed and designed, it is intended to function as a platform for current and future dementia care developments. The home is nestled between the south Solihull suburbs and the green belt, reaping the benefits of a rural setting, with mature
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trees bounding the site and views over the countryside to the south. Taking advantage of site orientation, the building maximises sunlight exposure and solar gain through a south facing plan, allowing direct light into more than 50 per cent of bedrooms and the main atrium at the heart of the building. The plan consists of sixty en suite
bedrooms over two floors, arranged along a linear axis following the principles of high visibility, good daylighting, and easy building operation. The bedrooms are grouped in clusters which feature a lounge/ multifunction room projecting into the rear gardens, along with ancillary facilities. The central core dissects the residential accommodation in two and houses the main communal and staff areas. The extensively glazed bistro, main dining room and lounge on the ground floor extend to the rear,
allowing for views across the gardens and direct access to the outdoor seating areas. On the first floor, the central lounge/ dining leads onto a terrace, providing an alternate external space for less mobile residents, with views across the site. The external envelope design is intended to create an aesthetically pleasing building of domestic appearance which is in keeping with the local vernacular and sympathetic to the home’s green belt setting. The front, south roof is entirely composed of photovoltaic panels, with the façade being complemented by a framed brise soleil which provides daylight shading during winter months and reduces solar gain in summer. The building entrance forms part of the glazed curtain wall and rooflight cutting through the façade and main roof, allowing light to flood into the central core
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com June 2022
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