Highly Commended Small Project of the Year 2024
Project Overview
This project involves the design of two small, independent units within the grounds of Augusta House, a Social Services respite care facility, purpose built to offer short-term care to adults with learning disabilities. The focus is on how each unit can operate autonomously while harmonizing with its natural surroundings, be self-sufficient, while minimally impacting the environment.
The site is located on the 1992 Garden Festival site, Ebbw Vale, surrounded by trees, the natural canopy offers shade, privacy, and a serene atmosphere, influencing the orientation and placement of the units to maximize views and passive solar benefits.
The original brief was for the redevelopment of Augusta House Respite Centre to investigate and evaluate the potential for adding a self-contained unit or possibly several if site conditions allowed it, to add to the services provided by Augusta House Respite Centre in Ebbw Vale. The design of the pods was brought about, firstly because of the lack of provision for expansion to the existing kitchen in Augusta House, and lack of room for use of rehabilitation services. Secondly, to provide an independent facility for more abled individuals. The initial provision was to provide six standalone units but the approved funding only allowed for two units to be built.
The current Respite Care Centre provides ground floor accommodation for approximately 6 adults with learning difficulties and special needs, the pods will provide an isolated facility for privacy, allowing for the rehabilitation of independent individuals and training of staff away from the hustle and bustle of the care centre.
The self-contained cabins will provide scope for the majority of young people currently at transition age who have the potential to be less reliant on statutory services in the future if given the opportunity to access a provision which can help them meet their outcome of being more independent.
| Project Name | Augusta House – Independent Living Units |
| Project Location | Augusta House, Augusta Park, Victoria, Ebbw Vale NP23 8DN |
| Project Start Date | May 2022 |
| Practical Completion | August 2022 |
| Project Value | £490,041.20 |
| QS/Consultant | Lee Richards - BGCBC |
| Structural Engineer | Austin Partnership |
| Electrical/Mechanical Engineer | Nathan Jones & Venkatesh Kumar BGCBC |
| Contractor | Henstaff Construction Ltd |
| Building Control | Colin Jones BGCBC |
| Architect | Paulo Santos |
| Engineer | PHG Consulting Engineers |
Positioned within the existing garden festival boundaries and recently formed community, an idyllic spot located alongside the lakes and shadowed by an almost vertical topography. The resulting outlook is ideally suited for the building’s purpose, allowing maximum viewing and interest.
The pods have been designed to feel like private retreats within the landscape, the placing allows for a reduced visual impact of Augusta House, set away from the residential area, and adequately fitted on the site without the great loss of garden space.
The design and location of the building is intended to maximise opportunities for the guest’s integration into the community and encourage use of education and recreational facilities within the locality.
The development, of two units with a footprint of only 45 and 65 square metres, the larger unit has been designed to accommodate oversized wheelchairs and a hoist.
Built in traditional timber-frame on top of a steel framework, which acts as a supporting platform to elevate the structure off the ground. This approach was used due to the poor load-bearing capacity of the soil. Offering a robust, versatile solution for a challenging site, combining the natural beauty of timber with the strength and adaptability of steel.
The pods are divided into two sculptural volumes externally linked by a ramp and designed to stand out like floating pods. Lower in height to the existing main building, clad in a charred larch, a Japanese method of charring timber with fire, this protects and reduces maintenance requirements to the timber boards, called Yakisugi or otherwise known as Shou Sugi Ban. Each cabin comes with a tall sloping ridged roof in standing seam.
The interior is comprised of an entrance lobby, single-bedroom, bathroom and combined living, dining and studio style kitchen all of which is suitably equipped for the centre’s intended use, the larger of the units is fitted with a rise and fall kitchen worksurface and storage units. Each bedroom has a concealed storage wall clad in beech to add diversity and maximise floor space and help achieve a clean aesthetic. With an East to West orientation both the bedroom and the living rooms are flooded by natural light from a generous floor to ceiling glazed facade and a series of smaller windows penetrate the north and south elevations to mininmise heat gain.
The pods are fully inclusive with accessibility and equipped to support any level of disability aiming to provide new opportunities and valued experiences for their guests. The purpose was to provide a high-quality short-term care for adults with learning disabilities whilst supporting and maintaining their independence and dignity.
