March 2011

Seagrove House Care Home, Corby
This new build care home consists of 75 bed dementia and residential rooms all with en- suites, some of the bedrooms are designed as companion rooms with adjoining doors. The care home provides light & airy quiet rooms, communal lounges, private parking, hair salon and an aromatherapy suite. There is a large enclosed garden where ground floor residents have private patios and access to the main garden.

February 2011

The Close, Burcot
Phase three for The Close at Burcot included 29 care beds and 8 bed ABI Unit plus 2 new care beds in Phase Two, recently opened. Demolition of the existing building and connecting the new building onto Phase One and Phase Two was included in the works to the final addition at The Close. Resident’s rooms were created with a modern feel and en-suites comprise of WC, washbasin and shower. The residents and visitors have use of a lounge, dining room, and bistro, private lounge along with a library, hair salon, cinema room, and a specialist treatment room offering holistic massage, reflexology and other methods of relaxation.
All the external gardens were remodelled.

Azalea Court, Enfield
DWA Architects have completed the development of a 72 bed care home for the frail elderly with a separate building designed for 8 young physically disabled residents. This specialist unit provides residents, from Stoke Mandeville, rehabilitation before allowing them to move into their adapted own homes.
The care home includes 72 beds all en-suite with multi sensory room and hairdressing salon. The contemporary design, features solar panels and an environmentally friendly ‘green’ roof to moderate the building temperature and control rain water.

Broadway Halls
Broadway Halls has recently been shortlisted in the Pinders Healthcare Design Awards 2011. The home is an 83 bed new build home, incorporating nursing, residential and dementia care for Avery Healthcare. The site demanded an architecture that was distinctive and contemporary, with the building replacing derelict residential halls. The 4 storey building's facade, clad in a crisp white render set upon a stone plinth, supplement the architectural composition which addresses the site constraints, road junction and Dudley Castle on the horizon. The design has been considered contextually with the aesthetics designed to complement the surrounding 1930's art deco housing and the curved facade takes cues from the castle turrets as contemporary interpretations. The innovative construction utilises a full steel frame, bathroom pods and rendered insulation panels, which together, saved 12 weeks on the programme.

January 2011
Sewardstone
Enable Care have opened their first purpose built home for residents with complex medical and physical needs following their acquired brain injury and on-going cognitive communicative or behavioural needs who need slower stream rehabilitation. The main objective was for the creation of two 8 bed units in a domestic setting for 16 residents with each floor fully autonomous. On the first floor, 8 beds are deciated for people with on going complex medical and physical needs following their acquired brain injury. On the ground floor, 8 self contained apartment rooms are intended for people with on going cognitive communicative or behavioural needs who need slower stream rehabilitation. The development has been shortlisted in the Pinders Healthcare Design Awards 2011.

November 2010
Amberwood
Amber Wood Care Home, Cheltenham Spa; a 78 bed care home. Having a contemporary form, the building is designed to have a diverse roofline, designed with a variety of pitches and avoiding large expanses of steeply pitched roofs. The building has a perforated composition allowing for variegated forms and setbacks, including large lounge windows positioned on the prominent external corner locations that exploit the views from within the building into the external landscape. The development has been shortlisted in the Pinders Healthcare Design Awards 2011.

October 2010
Ashton Lodge Care Home; a new purpose designed care home for Lukka Care Homes opened earlier this month. The care home provides a total of 92 en-suite bedrooms with day spaces, assisted bathrooms and showers etc. The home is different to the norm as the planner required a landmark building on this prominent corner site. Elevationally the building has been designed to be very contemporary in its look. The elevations have a mixture of materials, through colour render, cedar cladding, aluminium standing seam roof, aluminium eaves/gutter system and aluminium curtain walling and windows, all of which create a facade that is essentially maintenance free.

September 2010


Click image to see larger version

March 2010

Kingsley Court, Uxbridge Road, Hayes End for Life Style Care

The care home development for operator Life Style Care is now completed and registered after inspection by the CQC. The building occupies a prominent corner site, which was formerly a council car park, adjacent to the junction of two primary distributor roads and overlooking a large recreation ground. Council planners required a 'landmark building'. Additionally a considerable number of planning issues had to be overcome, such as traffic noise and retention of existing mature trees on site.

Accommodation comprises 85 resident bedrooms over 3 floors, in addition to dayrooms there are centrally located activity rooms, a hair salon and multi sensory facility. Ancillary and support accommodation is within rooftop pavilions.

Environmental features of this development are; a green sedum covering to pitched roof areas; solar panel arrays to flat roof areas providing hot water heating, achieving 10% renewable energy criteria and an underground rainwater storage tank for site irrigation purposes.

Another development successfully completed by DWA Architects.

January 2010

Interior Design Department - Update

The Interior Design Department has been continuing their relationship with Wyevale Garden Centres and their cafe refurbishment programme. Crawley and Cheltenham opened Autumn 2009 and January 2010 has been busy with 3 new sites: Galton, Worcester and Findon, all due for completion early February 2010.

Work has also began on Willerby Manor Hotel reception area. The project involves creating a new entrance feature, reception desk and waiting area.


December 2009

Carebase - Aspen Grange Care Home, Braintree

Earlier this month Carebase, a long standing client of DWA, opened their latest care home in Braintree. the home has been designed to provide a homely and comfortable environment for its residents living with dementia. Whilst the home has 49 bedrooms the accommodation has been broken down to cater for smaller groups, so that each floor has two main day rooms in which differing moods are created. The dining room on each floor also double up as cinema rooms.

The building is of a contemporary design with brickwork and rendered walls, as well as using cedar boarding stepping in and out to create an interesting design with striking double height glazing to the main first floor day room. The incorporation of a courtyard garden with paths and large patio areas, including raised planting beds forms a range of peaceful and private sitting out spaces to complement the ground floor dayrooms.

November 2009

Avery Healthcare - Cepen Lodge in Chippenham

Cepen Lodge in Chippenham for Avery Developments opened last month. The home offers care for older people and people with dementia for long and short stay respite and convalescence care. The triangular shaped site provided a challenge, however, we have been able to utilise every part to provide excellent facilities, including a south facing garden with direct access from both lounge and dining areas. A quiet reflection area to the north of the building with wonder paths, raised beds and a Japanese garden have been incorporated to promote the use of the external space. All bedrooms have views of the surrounding countryside with many enjoying views over Chippenham golf course.

All rooms exceed the Government guidelines on space, have hotel style en-suite showers and are furnished to high standards. Numerous lounges, dining rooms and quiet areas have been designed to provide and promote relaxation and a home from home feeling. The dining rooms include a kitchenette area for residents and their families to make drinks and refreshments promoting independence and wellbeing.

October 2009

The Dementia Services Development Centre 3rd International Conference

This year we were invited to support Stirling University's The Dementia Services Development Centre 3rd International Conference - Facing the Future at York Racecourse. DWA Architects were able to exhibit both the company and the International Student Design Competition launched earlier in 2009. The theme of the conference, Facing the Future, responds to the UK National Dementia Strategy and the emerging dementia strategies across the world. The event brought together expertise and opinion from many parts of the world.

Special guest speaker during the event was Fiona Phillips. The former GMTV presenter has taken a prominent role in highlighting the challenges of finding support, diagnosis and funding for families of people with dementia.

The Dementia UK Awards was a key component of the conference. The awards are a celebration of innovation and good practice for organisations and individuals who have worked to improve the quality of life of people living with dementia. DWA Architects Chief Executive; David Ward presented the winner for the Dementia Design Innovation Award. The award is given for the design of a communal or individual setting used by people with dementia that demonstrates dementia friendly design.

Overall the conference was an excellent opportunity for DWA to meet with our existing clients and potential new contacts and also continue our working relationship with the University of Stirling.

October 2009

Interior Design Department - Update

The DWA Architects Interior Design Department have been busy during 2009 with the refurbishment of Wyevale Garden Centre cafes. Two new sites have opened this month; Colchester and Chelmsford. They are currently on site with Cheltenham due for completion later in October. Following a two day site meeting, Crawley, Worlds End, Heighley Gate, Ashton and Galton are further projects to be developed.

September 2009

Avery Healthcare - Hampton Vale, Peterborough

Newly completed, is our latest scheme for Avery Healthcare, an 86 bed nursing home on a prominent corner site, forming a gateway to the new town of Hampton Vale on the outskirts of Peterborough.

At 4 storeys high, the landmark building is faced in a mixture of brick, render, stone and Trespa cladding panels and features corner dining rooms with balconies. The upper floor bedrooms have panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and the building continues our successful programme of high quality developments for this valued client.

July 2009

MHA Care Group - Close Care Apartments

Earlier this month saw the handover of the 29 close care apartment scheme in Penrith for MHA Care Group. All the apartments were pre-sold before the development was finished and some of the apartments are now occupied. The project also included alteration to the existing home, this work is due for completion this month and will provide a professional kitchen, larger dining rooms, lounge areas and improved communal facilities.

June 2009

Coleg Harlech Cambria Centre - Update

Last month Coleg Harlech WEA was the first learning provider in North Wales to receive the Quality Award. This is a significant step forward for the college and the Cambria Centre, with this award under their belts they can now lobby the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) hard to get funding for the development. This month we expect to see a significant step change in the activity to get funding for the project.

The proposed hotel and apartment scheme on the St David's site received planning last month, this also adds huge weight to the redevelopment of the area and pressure on the WAG.

June 2009

BUPA Care Services: Elmhurst, Warren Road, Brighton

Following a long and arduous planning application, permission was finally granted on the 80 bedroom dementia specific care home for BUPA Care Services. The contemporary design of the proposed building combines well with a new internal finish specification. Along with Warren Lane, Ashford, this development will be a flagship to promote BUPA's new brand of home.

1st May 2009

Winning Designs - YORK ARCHITECT UNVEILS CARE HOME DESIGNERS OF THE FUTURE

19th February 2009

Update of Design Competition - INTERNATIONAL DESIGNS ON THE FUTURE OF CARE HOMES

12th February 2009

Coleg Harlech - SHOW-STOPPING PLANS FROM WARRINGTON ARCHITECT

5th January 2009

Launch of Design Competition - YORK ARCHITECT ENCOURAGES DESIGNERS OF THE FUTURE

3rd November 2008

Monkbar Hotel - DOUBLE PLANNING SUCCESS FOR YORK ARCHITECTS