REMEMBER
CARE HOME. 2019.
Location: Bath
Type: studio project
A care home in Bath. A well-lit, functional and comfortable dwelling for two groups of elderly that demonstrates balance of privacy and liveliness while encouraging interaction and movement through outdoor facilities.
The block for those who require more care has a glazed courtyard in the centre, which creates an infinite corridor that connects all the rooms. There are twelve rooms in each block, split across two floors, each group of six south/east-facing rooms have their own treatment rooms set to the north. Every resident’s bedroom is ensuite and has a small living space near their full height window. The two floors are further connected by lounge spaces which are half double height
Using the Bushey Cemetery by Waugh Thistleton as a precedent, the care home is composed of structural insulated rammed earth walls. Not only does rammed earth have a good thermal mass; it is also unobtrusive, warm and calming. The colours of the earth and the roof blends well into the Georgian palette of the site. These characteristics of rammed earth provides a comfortable ambiance for the elderly through a closer connection to nature.
