Needham House

The future of housing for the elderly

Wiltshire Council identified a likely increase of the elderly population in Devizes of 64.8% by 2026 and thus a significant need for additional housing for this population group. DKA were commissioned to design Needham House, an Extra Care housing scheme, as part of their programme to achieve this – providing new homes for the over 55’s that require care.

Needham House comprises 39 two-bedroom and eight one-bedroom apartments, with communal and support facilities for both residents and members of the wider community. Each apartment is designed to maximise the available living space, laid out in a flexible arrangement and with either direct access to its own patio area within the gardens or a private balcony that overlooks them.

“ The feedback has been nothing but positive, so a massive well done to you. We are all so proud of the building ”

Nikki Townshend - Commissioning Officer for New Housing, Wiltshire Council

The building layout on the site was carefully considered to maximise the number of units available whilst achieving a sense of space within the landscaped grounds and maintaining as much of the existing mature boundary planting as possible. All communal rooms within the building overlook the gardens and there is access to a generous terrace area within the south facing courtyard.

Being the first such scheme funded by Wiltshire Council there were a number of public consultation events required, both as part of the planning process and their wider aspiration to keep the public updated with their proposals. As the site is located within an existing residential area there was a lot of interest from the neighbours.

DKA also provided an interior design service for the communal areas, creating a pleasant, homely interior and an environment suitable for residents living with a variety of conditions. This led to further appointment for us to develop Wiltshire Council’s Extra Care Housing Brief / Specification for future schemes.

We also provided BIM Manager services as this was the first BIM Level 2 project for both the main contractor and Wiltshire Council. The federated model generated proved a great asset in coordinating all design disciplines and the client anticipates the resulting COBie spreadsheet will be extremely useful to their management team in the future.

Key people

ADRIAN ABBS

Senior Architect

After qualifying in 2002 Adrian joined DKA in 2004, where he has gained a wide range of experience in healthcare, community, industrial, leisure and residential projects. Recently he has been Project Architect for two new community hospitals in Somerset, providing him with a thorough knowledge of the latest healthcare regulations and successful experiences working with two of the country’s leading contractors on the Procure 21 framework.

DAVID KENT

Director

Founder and Director of DKA with experience in the design and construction of most building types, including healthcare, education, commercial, leisure and residential in both public and private sectors. Experienced in feasibility and urban design studies, David is responsible for running the design studio and retains a personal involvement with projects in the office in all stages of the design process, particularly at concept and sketch design stages.

REBECCA FURSE

Senior Designer

Rebecca joined DKA in 2007 and has worked across all sectors, initially in a technical capacity and now leading our interiors team. This mix of technical and interiors experience has provided Rebecca with a well-balanced approach, with designs offering both creativity and practicality. She has a Masters in Environmental Psychology which developed her awareness of the impact design can have on people’s experience of the built environment. Rebecca is our expert in dementia-friendly design and believes that good design can help to empower all building users.

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