Stoneham Care Home

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As the site is situated within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the design had to be sympathetic with the character and interests of this important setting.      

The overall approach to the site layout evolved through collaborative consultation with local residents and pre-application Planning Officer advice. The layout respects an adjacent property by maximising the distance between them and the dwellings were orientated to remove overlooking issues, the smallest elevation of the care home faces the main road in order to minimise visual impact. 

Upon entering the building the main entrance opens up into a spacious and contemporary café / waiting area with views through the building out into the extensive landscaped gardens. The care home was designed with the many different needs of the residents in mind with large lounges, dining rooms, quiet rooms and terraces providing high quality amenity space promoting interaction and a sense of community. A variation of room sizes will allow flexibility should the needs of the future residents change. A staff core is located to the west of the building which is directly accessible from the service area and provides ease of access for delivery vehicles and operation. 

The proposal was developed in such a way as to maintain as much privacy for the residents, as well existing local residents, whilst maximising the efficient use of the available landscape and existing topography. The external façades are a mix of multi-facing brick (to match surrounding context), dark horizontal timber cladding to the recesses and extrusions to break down the mass, brought together with vertically hung clay tiles. Large glazed links were incorporated to provide views through the building and further decrease the sense of scale. Dormers to the second floor also break down the mass of the roof and were detailed to match the local vernacular. 

The design of the scheme was developed in light of the need to produce a sensitive proposal which would add to the local character, vernacular and material benefit of the area.