New build
to the domestic scale of its surroundings. He added that the revised design also
made it possible to create several different garden areas rather than treating outside space as a single undifferentiated amenity.
A local response, not a standard template The site sits in Emerson Park, which the home’s team described as an affluent area with local provision that was more often family-run or local-authority-operated than comparable luxury care. Meanwhile, the team identified local
dementia support groups and other community initiatives that were already active, suggesting a neighbourhood that has both unmet care needs, and organisations that were likely to engage with a new home. Mr Walker added the site’s prominent
frontage and residential character helped inform the design, which also draws on the history of the site that was once part of Ardleigh Green and associated with Ardleigh House, a manor house that had stood on the grounds. Mr Walker said this is important as local history can provide useful memory cues for older residents who know the area. The building has 87 bedrooms, arranged
as care studios and one-bedroom suites. Its H-shaped plan was chosen so all rooms could have a view towards the outside; on the ground floor, three gardens are accessible from different parts of the home. Mr Walker described the gardens as
particularly generous for a care home but added that their variety matters as much as their size. “There’s variety and the opportunity to use them differently at different times of day
“ The gardens are particularly
generous for a care home” Mark Walker of PRP
for different users of the building,” he said. Different orientations offer sun or shade, while distinct spaces can support different activities and needs, he added. The building’s form is intended to sit
comfortably within the local suburban landscape. Rather than being viewed as one large, continuous, block, it is broken into forms. Mr Walker described as “a collection of buildings that belong in their residential setting.” That sense of place continues inside
Signature CEO Rob Martin
the home, with names for areas drawing on Hornchurch’s history, while local primary school pupils helped name community spaces, including the pub and cinema. Meanwhile, local references and memorabilia from familiar local landmarks, including the area’s links with a nearby air base are intended to prompt recognition and conversation, according to Ms Komuhangi.
First wellbeing area The team said the home is Signature’s first new-build to incorporate a purpose-built wellness area from the outset, rather than being added later to an existing building. The salon, cinema, spa bathroom and rehabilitation centre have been designed to be grouped in a dedicated section of the home, alongside access to physiotherapy and, where needed, occupational therapy and speech and language support - and are part of a new wider wellness strategy which the team said would also be rolled out across the company’s other homes. The strategy is intended to look beyond
clinical care, according to regional sales manager Josie Westwood, who said the offer is about much more than “just looking at care”.
November 2026
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com 29
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