Projects
Supported Accommodation for Vulnerable Women – Peckham, London
Bowman Riley was approached by the property industry charity LandAid to assist with the refurbishment of supported accommodation for vulnerable women facing homelessness on a pro-bono basis in Peckham, London for Oasis Community Housing.
The facility is for 16 women providing single rooms, self-contained flats and mother and baby units.
The initial scheme was for a small extension to the original building comprising the refurbishment of the office, communal lounge and communal kitchen. The involvement with the initial contractor diminished and the extension was cancelled. The charity went ahead with an alternative proposal to refurbish the originally intended areas and the communal areas and residents’ rooms.
We supported the charity beyond our original role of principal designer by agreeing and preparing a refurbishment schedule of works, administering a tender analysis and recommending a contractor, coordination, project management and contract administration over the project’s duration. We were involved for a two year period and continued our service throughout the pandemic.
The challenges we encountered concerned the movement of vulnerable residents to stay in hotels or with friends/family during the works, the difficulty of securing a contractor and undertaking the works during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. The successful delivery of the project was facilitated by phasing the works into two stages.
“We are amazed by the tenacity of Bowman Riley to support this project. A big thank you for sticking with us. We really do appreciate the commitment you have shown to this project.”
Hazel Ditchburn, Corporate Relationship Manager, Oasis Community Housing
Please refer to our other social housing projects.
Newsome Vale Independent Living – South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire Housing Association
Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Bowman Riley supported the delivery of Newsome Vale, a new apartment complex specifically designed to provide independent living for older people.
Supported by a £1.87 million grant from the Homes and Communities Agency, Newsome Vale comprises 50 one and two bedroom apartments on three floors with communal gardens and lounge areas.
Following the closure of South Yorkshire Housing’s in-house architects department, Bowman Riley was commissioned to facilitate the completion of the development. At this stage, the project was significantly behind programme and there was an ongoing dispute with the contractor.
Providing a contract administrator role as the client’s agent, we worked closely with the housing association and contractor to resolve the dispute and support the completion of the development. We also undertook the role of principal designer to ensure the completion of the health and safety file prepared by the contractor.
Newsome Vale now offers high-quality apartments for older people that eliminate the usual housing problems like stairs and bathtubs and provides spacious living areas, corridors and bathrooms for easy accessibility. Residents take part in the daily activities ranging from knitting and chair aerobics, to bingo, line dancing and quiz nights.
“The best decision we have made to move into Newsome Vale apartment, it is superb… Newsome vale is a very secure place, which gives the residents peace of mind.”
John (resident 2016)
View more of our retirement living experience
Greenroyd Mill Residential Development – North Yorkshire
Yorkshire Housing, Jephson North, Barnfield Homes
Sutton in Craven, North Yorkshire
Bowman Riley designed the transformation of a 150-year-old derelict textile mill site into a mixture of 94 new homes comprising affordable homes, extra care houses/apartments and private homes.
Work on the scheme was originally started by a private developer, but the project stalled in 2008 due to the economic downturn. Working with the developer Barnfield Homes and two housing associations, Yorkshire Housing and Jephson Homes, we attracted an investment of £3.7 million from the Homes and Communities Agency to enable the development to complete.
The four-storey development retains the existing structure of the mill. Many of the mill’s original features were sympathetically incorporated into the design. The building achieved BREEAM Very Good.
The Greenroyd Mill development received a number of accolades including:
- Outstanding Achievement in Collaborative and Partnership Working – Making the Difference in Yorkshire and Humber Awards 2011
- High Commendation – RICS Pro-Yorkshire Awards 2012 for Residential
- Special Commendation – Yorkshire Business Insider Property Awards 2012 in the category of Restoration.
Roughaw Close Residential Development – North Yorkshire
Skipton, North Yorkshire
Bowman Riley designed a new building comprising eight two-bedroom apartments at Roughaw Close to provide supported living accommodation for older people in a picturesque location the banks of the Leeds to Liverpool canal in the market town of Skipton.
The new development offers high-quality homes for local people in the Craven area, which has a shortage of affordable homes.
The development at Roughaw Close saw the demolition of an existing building that was inadequate to meet the needs of older residents and the raising of the site level as a flood risk prevention measure.
The new timber frame building retained the stone characteristics typical throughout Skipton but also incorporated modern features including rain screen cladding and rendered elevations. Situated in a desirable canal-side location, the development provides garden space for the residents of the property to enjoy in relative privacy.
Adjacent to a larger complex that satisfies a wide range of accommodation requirements for older people, the new building was designed to be fully accessible with internal spaces accommodating users with limited mobility and wheelchair users.
A subsequent development of 12 two-bedroom apartments to mirror the first phase building providing supported living accommodation was completed. The new building provides residents with two mobility scooters.
Grafton Road Extra Care Development – Staffordshire
Grafton Road, Longton, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire
Bowman Riley designed an extra care housing development at Grafton Road for local people with learning disabilities and additional physical or sensory impairment, currently living in inappropriate hospital accommodation. The site was selected following consultation with carers and relatives to ensure satisfactory amenity, convenience and access.
The 1380m² development accommodates two clusters of eight self-contained one bedroom flats together with ancillary accommodation commensurate with the 24 hour support the residents need.
As the residents have mobility problems, the requirement was for a single storey building with a layout is as compact as possible while allowing generous circulation areas. The internal spaces of the building are designed specifically to address the needs of users with limited mobility and are fully accessible to wheelchair users.
The scale of the single storey residential building raised significant design issues. To address these, the apparent bulk of the roof was mitigated using of a hipped roof form with varying ridge heights. Gable features with largely glazed elevations denote the communal spaces within the development and relieve the horizontal nature of the scheme. There is potential for the scheme of this type to attract anti-social behaviour. To protect residents, the entrances and communal open spaces are located to minimise overlooking from passersby.
Deansfield Court Extra Care Facility – North Yorkshire
Yorkshire Housing
Malton, North Yorkshire
Bowman Riley designed Deansfield Court for Yorkshire Housing, a modern extra care residential facility that replaced a long-standing care home designed to respond to older people’s changing needs.
Aimed at those with health issues that make independent living more difficult but who do not need full residential care, this was a new concept for Yorkshire Housing to offer more support than sheltered housing but still allow residents to live independently.
Yorkshire Housing took over the residential care facility and adjacent housing stock from North Yorkshire County Council. Bowman Riley liaised with both parties to facilitate the transaction and to ensure that the new residential facility met the aspirations of the housing provider and its residents.
Deansfield Court provides 50 self-contained apartments with a communal lounge, restaurant, internet café, hair salon, therapy room, library and shop. The accommodation improved the levels of care and self-sufficiency for the residents. Five of the units were designed for wheelchair users and the building can accommodate power-assisted wheelchairs and buggies on all three floors.
Yorkshire Housing was keen to explore the alternative methods of design and construction on this development. As a result, the building was designed using timber-framed panel systems.
Ten years after completion and Deansfield Court has a waiting list proving the success and popularity of this extra care scheme. Danny Watson, Scheme manager, Yorkshire Housing said:
“It’s a popular scheme and we’re sending out applications forms every day to people who are interested. And I try to ensure that anybody who rings up can come and have a look around because it’s a selling point for them to see how lovely the building is.”
See more of our retirement communities.
YMCA Temporary Housing – Islington, London
Islington, London
Won through an architectural competition, Bowman Riley designed an innovative solution to the shortage of hostel accommodation in London through the use of converted shipping containers named Project Acorn.
City YMCA London was unable to renew the lease for its existing central London accommodation. This resulted in the need to provide alternative accommodation for 120 short-term tenants, typically students for a two year period whilst permanent accommodation is created.
Working in partnership with the YMCA, Bowman Riley assisted in the selection of a vacant brownfield site that could accommodate a temporary housing scheme for a two year period, whilst a permanent building is created.
The unusual feature about this housing scheme is that the homes are built out of converted steel shipping containers.
Extensive discussions took place with the end user representatives and modular construction specialists to achieve a warm, safe and pleasant living environment. Bowman Riley designed clusters of ten single person homes with shared kitchens to meet the needs of the user group.
The YMCA has commissioned a prototype to be manufactured in advance of the full order.
View more of our social housing experience here
Nell Bank Activity Centre – Ilkley
Nell Bank Centre and Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Ikley, West Yorkshire
Bowman Riley designed the award award-winning Activity Centre for young people with disabilities and their families in Ilkley. The facility is part of the £5 million pilot scheme, funded by Aiming High, a Government programme to support projects for young people with disabilities.
The new build unit, which can house up to 20 people or a group of 12 with disabilities and their carers, has been built on a greenfield site, so an important aspect of the design was to integrate the building with its sensitive location.
The project incorporates a palette of sustainable materials including timber frame construction and agricultural roofing materials, and incorporates a solar water heating system and a ground source heat-pump to provide underfloor heating. The detailed design of the building evolved through working closely with the contractor to create an innovative roof structure. This consists of a warm roof over a structural timber deck which eliminates the need for a secondary timber structure.
The project was awarded the Ilkley Civic Society Design Award 2011. Visit their website
Roughaw Close Phase 2 Residential Development – North Yorkshire
Yorkshire Housing
Skipton, North Yorkshire
Bowman Riley designed a new residential development of 12 two-bedroom apartments for older people ion the site of a former sheltered housing scheme in a picturesque location overlooking the canal in Skipton.
This development follows the successful first phase comprising eight two bedroom apartments in a new building on the site.
We successfully managed the planning process to include consultation with the local ward councillors, the community and residents of the existing housing scheme.
The design maximises the site’s potential by orientating the living areas within the apartments to take advantage of the beautiful aspect overlooking the canal.
The attractive development is scaled to be in keeping with the surrounding context and is extremely sympathetic to the local setting.
The much needed affordable homes are designed to have a flexible internal room layout, which allows each home to adapt to the resident’s needs.
Designed with sustainability and security as key factors; Roughaw Close achieved Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 and Secured by Design Part 2 accreditation.