Located within 30 acres of managed parkland, in the heart of the Brecks, is a Grade II Listed Regency mansion, built by Edward Bliss in the C19. This had previously been converted into a care home and our clients came to us with the hopes of maximising available space to create a specialist dementia wing with upgraded facilities, living and sleeping areas.
Matthew Stearn (Conservation Architect/Member) undertook a feasibility study, which focused on the conversion and extension of an existing, flat roofed single-storey side extension. Our (Matthew Stearn and Stacey Cobbold (Architect)) concept designs led us to create a first floor, removing the unsympathetic and deteriorating flat roof and replacing it with a double gabled second storey. The overall appearance was that of a sympathetic and subservient building that remains cohesive with the overall Regency mansion.
We worked alongside an Acoustician (Sound Solutions), Arboriculturist (Haydens), and Structural Engineer (Adam Power), along with the client’s dementia specialists and the Contractor (Broadoak Construction) to create a scheme that the Local Authority felt embellished rather than hindered the existing structure.
The complex project included a new layout plan for the first floor, providing additional bedrooms and day care facilities, suitable for the residents with memory challenges and their visiting families and friends. Considerations were given to ensure that the areas created were basked in natural light, were safe and easy to navigate for the residents, and had an inviting and positive aesthetic created through the use of colour, light and texture.
The works were undertaken in a carefully phased manner, having to be constructed whilst the ground floor was still in occupation. Further complicating matters was that the primary bulk of construction was carried out during the COVID19 lockdown. The extension was opened to residents in 2021, and has recently received an Outstanding CQC overall rating.