Willow Gardens, Chipping Norton – Assisted Living/Extra Care Home
- Client
- Housing 21
- Location
- Chipping Norton
- Project Leaders
- Andy Tansill Jim Hayles
- Size
- 80 units
Challenge To attract "Downsizers"....
Our Extra Care Architects were challenged to deliver Willow Gardens in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, a Later Living development for over 55’s available for social rent and shared ownership. The 3-storey development should provide 80 apartments with a 24-hour care service if needed. Designed to be fully accessible, our challenge was to incorporate a range of on-site facilities to include a cafe/ bistro, hair salon and communal areas to promote independent living within a community setting.
The aim of the new development is to appeal to people who may be downsizing, offering a self-contained apartment to promote independence and provide adaptable Extra Care from a specialist care team to suit individual’s’ changing needs if and when required.
- Services
- Partners
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Housing 21OsbornesDeeley GroupOxfordshire County Council
Gallery
Solution Our Integrated Retirement Community Architects have 20+ years' experience
The building is organised around a central courtyard to provide a sheltered and secure garden for the residents. The communal areas are clustered around the main entrance creating a vibrant social area providing opportunities for residents and visitors to meet spontaneously as they come and go from the building. The apartments are arranged so that the majority have East, West or South facing frontages.
The palette of materials has been carefully chosen by our Later Living Architects to be sympathetic to the local context. The contemporary design incorporates traditional materials such as, artificial Cotswold stone to break up the overall massing and scale of the proposal. Timber cladding to the entrance area and a roof canopy brings a lightweight and warm aesthetic in conjunction with the Cotswold stone. Bay windows to the main elevations further break up the overall massing and create visual interest. They also provide the appearance of a smaller scale and domestic sized buildings in front of the larger main building mass.
Stylish and modern interior design with high quality fixtures and fittings, as well as, high energy efficiency ratings (being BREEAM ‘Very Good’) form part of the appeal for downsizers.
The diverse Landscape Design with planting and features providing a year-round multi-sensory interest to residents and visitors, as well as, privacy to ground floor apartment windows, also contribute to the appeal of Willow Gardens.