Staveley Residential and Community Care Centre
Bea Landscape Design Ltd was appointed by architects Frank Shaw Associates to prepare conceptual and detailed landscape design drawings for a 32 bed Residential and Community Care Centre in Staveley, for Derbyshire County Council. The centre has been designed as a “blueprint” for future care centres catering for the local community and providing specialist care and support for adults living with dementia, including their carers.
It was important that the gardens were designed so that they were easy to navigate on safe, hazard free and have clearly demarcated routes. The layout of the large outer perimeter garden was therefore conceived on the notion of providing a simple circular route whilst dividing space with planting to create separate smaller enclosed external ‘rooms’. A dedicated allotment space was also provided at the rear of the care centre to encourage resident interaction.
A similar design approach was taken with the central courtyard with the confined nature of the space leading to a more intimate scheme being developed including a timber covered walkway, numerous smaller patio spaces and a central water feature.
Working as part of a multi disciplinary design team the practice prepared an initial scheme for auditing by the Stirling University Dementia Services Department followed by detailed design for planning submission.
On approval the practice prepared the employers requirements drawings including planting, layout and levels plans for this design and build project. The practice was also retained by the client as their landscape advisor during the construction phase.
Completed in 2010 Stirling University Dementia Services Development Centre awarded the project a Gold Standard Award achieving a score of 94%. It is hoped that this successful scheme will lead the way in design of future specialist dementia care facilities.
| Location | Staveley, Chesterfield |
| Type of scheme | Residential and community care centre |
| Size | 0.65ha |
| Lead landscape architect | Bea Landscape Design Limited |
| Outline brief | To provide private, communal and community gardens to cater for users with dementia and other age related disabilities. Providing hard and soft landscape design services. |
| Client | Derbyshire County Council |
| Contract value | Total project cost: £7m |
| Completion date | March 2010 |
| Project team | Architects: Frank Shaw Associates |
| Planning authority | Derbyshire County Council |
| Contact details | info@bealandscape.co.uk |
| Website | http://www.bealandscape.co.uk |
| Awards | Stirling University Dementia Services Audit, Gold Standard Award |
Technical summary |
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| Materials | Paths: Buff resin bound gravel with contrasting grey raised Tegula edging. Patio Areas: Tegula paving blocks / textured concrete flags Timber benches, illuminated bollards, etc. |
| Planting | An extensive planting scheme was developed for the gardens in which sensory and focal planting was carefully selected to aid ‘way-finding’. A separate area of raised timber beds were left unplanted to encourage interaction by the residents. A pergola, garden shed and greenhouse were also provided also giving site users a sense of familiarity to home and further encourage interaction. |
| Other technical details | Bea Landscape Design Ltd also provided all external levels to the gardens considering path gradients for disabled users as well as drainage falls. |
| Contractors | Miller Construction |
| Suppliers | Marshalls |
| Category | Individual buildings |
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Lead landscape architect
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Bea Landscape Design Limited 132A 'The Westlands'
Telephone: 01902 424 950 BIM Level: Undeclared |
