Completion of a stylish new residential project in Surrey

We have recently completed the site stage of an imaginative small extension to a character house in Surrey. The work involved internal restructuring of the house to provide a more natural progression of rooms, providing a new family room with a garden aspect and a larger master bedroom with an en suite bathroom. The internal layout incorporates a double height space which provides natural light and views from within the house. The creative use of space has been used to dramatic effect and has received positive feedback fro our client, their friends and family.

Completion of The Rowans, Crowborough, Sussex

A recently completed nineteen unit retirement housing scheme consisting of a mix of flats and bungalows for Sussex Housing and Care in Crowborough, Sussex has been very well received by both our clients and the prospective residents with the units being taken up very quickly.

Further phases at Kisimul School

Archadia has been working on the masterplanning of this site for four years converting a complex of Edwardian buildings in the Green Belt into a boarding school for children with severe learning difficulties, behavioural problems and autism. Having completed extensions to both teaching blocks and residential accommodation we are now turning our attention to landscaping and external works and working on the plans for a new swimming pool complex.

Other project news

A fifty unit extra care housing scheme in Penge, London Borough of Bromley, is currently on site and due to complete in May. We have recently made a planning application for a sixteen unit multi-generational housing scheme in Byfleet, Surrey, and are working on another application for a forty-three unit extra care scheme in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. In addition, we are working at the feasibility stage on the planning of a site in Buckinghamshire which will incorporate a care home, a doctor’s surgery and some industrial units. We are also discussing alterations, adaptations and replacements for a number of care homes whose owners are exploring different options in the light of the difficulties arising in this sector as a result of the squeeze on                                                                                                                      Local Authority funding and the popularity of Extra Care Housing.

Threeways, Esher, Surrey – new bungalow for wheelchair users for Rosemary Simmons Memorial H A

Key Facts
Fully wheelchair accessible
Sustainable building: Code level 6
Total floor area: 137 m2

Threeways provides four affordable flats for independent older people in a converted 1920’s building on a prominent corner site in Esher.

The brief was to design a new detached bungalow for two disabled people at the rear of the site, providing wheelchair standard accommodation within a balanced programme of development in the area.

The main planning concerns were to have a small footprint whilst also keeping the height under two storeys.

Archadia’s response was a single storey building which utilises the roof area for accommodation. The first floor will comprise  three bedrooms with ensuite facilities accessed by a platform lift.

A creative approach to landscaping is proposed, providing shared patio areas with linking organic paths and defined parking bays and driveway.  This will provide excellent outdoor amenity for all the residents.

Sustainability was a key consideration and the building has been registered to attain Code level 6, achieving the highest levels of water and energy efficiency, sustainable construction, and renewable energy. Integrated photovoltaic and solar thermal panels will give a total renewable provision of 95%.

Planning permission was granted in August 2010 and the project is expected to be built in 2012.

Hounslow, Middlesex – New build family home for a child with severe physical disabilities

Archadia were asked to design a new build family home for a severely disabled seven year old and around-the-clock care staff in Hounslow.  Archadia’s solution was an attractive yet functional five-bedroom property which generously accommodates the needs of a young wheelchair user, her family and carers.

Separate entrances and living areas have been designed for the family and care staff which are carefully arranged to allow both adequate access and independence from one another. A spacious, north-facing bedroom on the ground floor is proposed for the disabled child which allows easy access and temperature control, and pleasing views to the garden.

The property is primarily arranged over one floor with a guest space situated on the first floor, reached via stairs or a wheelchair-friendly lift.

Specific design features include generous corridors allowing for easy wheelchair manoeuvring and a ceiling track hoist system allowing ease of movement between open spaces. Sliding electronic doors to all primary areas are also incorporated to enable further independence for the wheelchair user.

Externally, the entrance forecourt offers parking space for four vehicles and attractive landscaped gardens with connecting footpaths. A protective entrance canopy will shield the disabled child in poor weather. 

As specified, the building offers ample storage space and has been designed to allow the future addition of a conservatory.

Kisimul School, Long Ditton – residential and educational facilities for children with special needs

In 2007 Kisimul School acquired a group of Edwardian buildings in the Green Belt in Long Ditton, Surrey, which had been in use as a training and conference centre.

Archadia were appointed to deliver a ‘whole site’ masterplanning approach to convert the complex into a new school for children with severe learning difficulties  and challenging behaviour.

Over a period of four years several projects involving remodelling, refurbishments and new extensions have been carried out in a series of  traditional contracts to create high quality educational and living accommodation.

As the school needed to remain operational during the works, a detailed phasing plan was required to ensure the children’s safety and limit disruption to their daily lives.

Archadia have successfully carried out sensitive negotiations with the planners to arrive at designs acceptable for this Green Belt development.

The improved and new facilities have allowed Kisimul Group to deliver high quality care and education in an attractive and safe environment and has greatly enhanced the site.  Further phases are planned to include landscaping and a swimming pool complex.

Key facts:
Site area: 3.3 ha
No. of pupils: 60
Green belt location

Two new directors appointed

We are delighted to announce that Am Sondh and Colin Stewart have recently accepted Directorships with Archadia.  Both were formerly Associates and this promotion recognises their professional commitment and their drive to help develop the Practice into the future.

Joining Patrick Manwell and Jean Hanna on the board, they add strength to the team enabling us to deliver the best of design and service to our clients.

Completion of two further phases at Kisimul School, Long Ditton, Surrey

Vernon Court, a residential block, has been granted Ofsted registration, following refurbishment and linking to another building, while the Garden Suite has been rebuilt to provide new teaching accommodation.

Archadia has been working on the masterplanning of this site for four years converting a complex of Edwardian buildings in the Green Belt into a boarding school for children with severe learning difficulties, behavioural problems and autism.  Refurbishment, remodelling and extensions have been carried out under several consecutive traditional contracts and Archadia has undertaken all stages of the work from initial design to completion on site. 

Other project news

Jobs on site include a new nineteen unit retirement housing scheme consisting of a mix of flats and bungalows in Crowborough, Sussex and a fifty unit extra care housing scheme at Penge in the London Borough of Bromley.  We shall soon be making planning applications for several projects including a sixteen unit multi-generational housing scheme in Byfleet, Surrey, a project in Poole consisting of forty-four retirement flats (‘housing with care’) linked to a new forty-eight unit residential care home, and a forty-three unit extra care scheme in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.

Thesiger Road, Penge – new extra care housing scheme for Hanover Housing Association

Key Facts
Range and type of units:
41 x 1 bedroom flats
9 x 2 bedroom flats
Extra care communal facilities
Gross internal floor area: 4566 m2
Site area (ha): 0.45
Date of completion:  Spring 2012

The new scheme, which is being developed by Hanover, will replace an existing forty-three bed residential care home which is no longer fit for purpose.  Extra care housing provides self-contained  accommodation with communal facilities where older people can remain in their own homes for longer, with care and support being brought into the building allowing the majority of people to continue living independently until nearly the very end of their lives.  This development comprises forty-one one bedroom and nine two bedroom flats and follows on from another new extra care development by Hanover at Bromley Common, which is currently under construction. 

The site is an awkwardly shaped area of land, surrounded on all sides by residential developments and the new building has been designed to be sympathetic to the context of the area, responding to each boundary in a different way.  The radial form of the building avoids long monotonous elevations and the projecting gables respond to the residential scale of the neighbourhood.  The building is also broken into smaller elements by the use of a variety of materials.  A combination of red brick, yellow London stock and render will be used, reflecting the materials evident in the surrounding built environment.  This all helps to give the impression of                                                                                                                      individual dwellings rather than an institutional building.

In addition to the flats themselves, the building provides a dining area, two lounges, a shop, and a health suite including assisted bathing and hairdressing facilities.  Everyone living in the scheme will have access to a landscaped courtyard and gardens and the building is fully accessible for people in wheelchairs.

Archadia -  Spring 2011

Launch of remodelled pilot bedsit accommodation

Following the innovative remodelling of two pilot bedsits at Vivian Court in Camden for Central and Cecil Housing Trust, these have been on view to residents and feedback has been very positive. The skilled manipulation of space has produced surprisingly spacious and stylish accommodation. ’Nothing to improve – cosy and elegant’, ‘simply fabulous’ and ‘first class’ were just some of the glowing comments.

Bromley Extra Care Project now on site

Work has now started on the new Hanover Extra Care development in the London Borough of Bromley. In addition to the flats themselves, the building will boast a dining area, two lounges, a shop and a health suite with assisted bathing and hairdressing facilities. The project is scheduled for completion in 2012.

Patching Lodge hosts Housing LIN event

Archadia’s 76 unit extra care housing scheme in Brighton, designed for Hanover, was the venue for the January meeting of the Housing, Learning and Improvement Network. There were presentations from a variety of specialists involved in housing and care for older people followed by a tour of the building.

Other project news

Jobs on site include a new nineteen unit retirement housing scheme consisting of a mix of flats and bungalows in Crowboroough, Sussex, extension and remodelling work to a school for children with special needs in Long Ditton and a large house extension. We have recently been granted planning permission for a new one-off riverside house on the Thames at Shepperton.

Options appraisals have been undertaken on older persons housing stock belonging to a Housing Association operating in central London and pre-application discussions are now in progress regarding remodelling and extending a number of retirement housing schemes. 

Richmond & Heatherbank, Bexhill, Sussex: residential care home
for MHA Care Group

Key Facts:

57 existing bedrooms
6 new bedrooms
JCT traditional contract
Phased project built by Denne Construction
Extensive refurbishment
New landscaped gardens

Richmond & Heatherbank is a fifty-seven unit care home which has been extended and remodelled to provide improved space and facilities for people with dementia.

The project involved building an extension to the ground floor, allowing more space for dining and sitting areas and offering additional bedroom accommodation. New links to enhanced external areas were also created to make better and more attractive use of the site.

In addition, improvements were made to the quality of the first floor space including further eating and sitting areas and bedroom facilities.

Phasing was a matter of fundamental importance throughout the project. Residents in the existing building had to be moved at different stages of the project to allow work to progress, requiring careful management when closing off different parts of the site. The project has been designed to facilitate a future phase should further extension to the building be required.

Cyril Smith Court and Stratheden Lodge, Enfield, London:
multi-generational supported housing for Christian Action H A

Key Facts
20 flats for older people
6 flats for disabled people
Geothermal piles
Code Level 4
Total floor area : 2230 m2

Cyril Smith Court and Stratheden Lodge is a new supported housing development built on a prominent corner site in Palmers Green, Enfield.

The building features twenty one-bedroom flats for older people and six two-bedroom wheelchair flats for younger people with physical disabilities, along with a two-bedroom scheme manager’s flat.  Residents benefit from a communal sitting room, level access wet rooms to all flats, wheelchair-friendly gardens, separate disabled entrances and a range of safety and security features.

The corner site has gained a newfound architectural distinction thanks to the  aesthetic impact of its two towers.  Timber and terracotta rain screen cladding combined with an insulated render system and contrasting bricks create an interesting façade, whilst remaining sympathetic to the surrounding environment.     

Emphasis has been placed on environmental issues, with geothermal piles supplying on site energy.  The building proudly achieved Code level 4 under the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Archadia -  Winter 2010/2011

‘Design for Life’ Award for Northampton Place

We were very pleased to be given a ‘Design for Life’ Silver Award for our Extra Care project at Northampton Place, Slough.  These awards are made by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and are measured against twenty criteria, including their impact on the environment.

On to the next stage with the Bromley Extra Care project

Having gained planning permission for the new Hanover  Extra Care development in the London Borough of Bromley, we are now undertaking the construction drawings for the contractor with a view to starting on site in February/March.  In addition to the flats themselves, the building provides a dining area, two lounges, a shop, and a health suite including assisted bathing and hairdressing facilities.  Everyone living in the scheme will have access to a landscaped courtyard and gardens and the building is fully accessible for people in wheelchairs.  Construction is expected to start on this scheme later this year with a view to completion in 2012.

Two schemes completed on site in the Autumn

Cyril Smith & Stratheden, a twenty-six unit sheltered housing scheme in the London Borough of Enfield designed for Christian Action H. A. completed on site in September.  At almost the same time, Richmond and Heatherbank, a dementia care and residential home in Bexhill, which has been upgraded and remodelled for MHA Care Group also reached the end of the site stage.  Both schemes are already proving to be popular new additions to housing provision in their local areas.

Other project news

Jobs on site include a new nineteen unit retirement housing scheme consisting of a mix of flats and bungalows in Crowboroough, Sussex, extension and remodelling work to a school for children with special needs in Long Ditton and two large house extensions. The extension to a local sailing club is also expected to begin in the New Year and we are currently awaiting planning permission to be granted for a new one-off house on the banks of the River Thames.

Feasibility studies and pre-planning work has been undertaken for sites in Kent, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Dorset, Devon, Surrey, Somerset and the London Borough of Hackney on behalf of a variety of different housing associations and private developers.