Working collaboratively with RWP

Mark oversaw the design and build of our supported living scheme Annear Place in Nottingham. Here he talks about the different aspects of his role, and why it isn’t just about architectural design…

“Our connection with Progress Housing Group (and later RWP) was established six years ago when we worked with the Development Team from our Liverpool HQ in the North West and then from our Nottingham office.

We were made aware of bidding requirements from Nottinghamshire County Council for a supported living scheme and initially acted as ‘agents’ in the negotiation/offer for the land on which Annear Place is now built.

By the very nature of a supported living scheme and the complexity of the tenants needs, the purchase of land becomes protracted through a collaborative design process, involving funders, commissioners and OTs, for example to ensure the requirements can be met.

Everybody thinks of architecture as ‘pure’ design. However, it's not really about that in this type of specialist work.  In addition, everyone thinks of housing as being simple. As ever, there's a lot more to it than just designing a box with a few windows and doors.

The main challenge we faced with the Annear Place build was that it was constrained in a different way to perhaps a normal site. At least the development part was flat, but it wasn't square. The site was formerly a brick quarry, and as a result of clay and stone extraction previously, the rear of the site had a steep quarry face.

The bank is very well vegetated, but obviously it presented a stability concern. So a specialist was commissioned to carry out a ground investigation and produce a stability report. The bank is also a protected landscaped nature corridor in the Gedling Local Plan.

The bank informed the design and enabled us to use the ground floor as a four-bedroomed ‘cluster’ accommodation and to place one bedroom individual flats in an asymmetrical roof above. This enabled two storey development (for semi-independent accommodation), but allowed the elevations to be seen as single storey. The topography of the bank led to a natural break line in the building to create the central staff hub and public entrance.

Roof lights above the stairwells are positioned to bring the light in, but are too high up for anybody to look out on to a neighbouring property’s garden.  The remaining rear elevation, looking at the bank, gives you the view of greenery and nature enjoyed by the individual semi-independent accommodation and the communal areas of the ‘cluster’ accommodation.

The private bedroom spaces in the ‘cluster’ accommodation look the other way towards the existing bungalows, and rather than being a bland box are south-facing light-filled spaces with desk alcove and shaded full height glazing.

In a design and build project like this, it’s an ongoing process of collaboration, feedback and changes to ensure we anticipate the ongoing needs of the tenants as far as possible, all the way through the design process up to completion on site.

I believe our years of experience at HLP are invaluable because we understand what's required and whether it's going to work or not. We’ll initiate underground service searches and various surveys at the early stages on behalf of RWP, and we engage with a project team of structural and mechanical and electrical engineers alongside cost consultants up to the tender for building contractors. 

We have a detailed knowledge of local contractors looking for opportunities and are aware of their changing program of work, so their knowledge and experience can assist RWP projects on a repeat basis to achieve successful outcomes.  In this case, Mercer Building Solutions were the contractor and delivered a very successful construction phase.

Most importantly, I share RWP’s commitment to the community and a social care response to a wider societal problem. If it’s not attended to, what happens to people with support needs? We want to ensure our designs and projects contribute their part to excellent quality of life and care with positive choices about independent living.”

HLP is based in Liverpool and Nottingham, www.hlpdesign.com