The proposed development is situated on the junction between Barrington Road and St James Crescent. The site is presently occupied by a disused 3-storey nursing home.

Our brief was to design a residential development that incorporated both standard and affordable flats, but also to include facilities for a nursing home. With this in mind, we designed a scheme that would incorporate the use of several blocks allowing for flexible design and block usage. Attention was made to overall massing of the development because the existing site is already extremely varied in building heights and sizes. Therefore, by using several blocks, we could increment the height to suit the existing streetscape.

Each block would have its own individual circulation core, including fire protected stairs and lift, located to the northern elevation allowing for maximum windows with natural light. Also on each of the blocks, with the exceptions of blocks A and E, will have bin storage facilities. Minimum parking will be provided to rear of the development, with vehicular access off St Johns Crescent away from the busy main road. Pedestrian access will be provided both off Barrington Road and from the car park area to each of the residential blocks. Block A, the nursing home, will have its main entrance off St James Crescent, offering a quieter and more suitable environment for the entrance.

It was important to us to provide general amenity space for the residents away from Barrington Road, whilst maintaining the existing character and proportions of the surrounding area. We introduced several landscaped grassed areas around the development and with the use of small to large shrubs and trees we could form a barrier/boundary away from the public highways. The use of shrubs and trees would also reduce the impact of the development to the passers-by. The site boundary will be treated with a low level brick wall, to provide a separation between public and private areas, but not so much that it overpowers or encroaches on the footpaths.

Due the size of the development we needed to give careful treatment to the elevations to try and break up the overall appearance and reduce the impact on the street scene. Therefore, setting back the development from the public highway was important. Also, to reduce the mass of the building form, we introduced elements that will stand out from the main elevation. These elements will be formed in white render, and the main block walls will be brick. We then tied the elements together with a small brick banding detail.