St Bedes Extra Care Housing, Bedford

Client: Orbit Homes

Role: Architecture, Landscape

St Bede's is an exemplary Extra Care Housing scheme providing high quality mixed tenure accommodation in Bedford's Conservation Area. The site is that of the former St Bede's school and three of the existing school buildings are sensitively integrated into the design.

There is a mix of 1 & 2 Bedroom flats, of mixed tenure which offer a real choice for the people of Bedford. The scheme provides a range of accommodation to meet the needs of a diverse community, with a variety of communal areas, restaurant, a hair salon, fitness suite and space for family and friends to visit and stay overnight.  Its flexibility will enable changes to be made easily in the future as the needs of residents alter and technology improves, ensuring that everyone will have a home which will meet their needs for life.

Generous internal space standards exceed those normally found in Extra Care housing and a high proportion of 2 bedroom apartments provide 3 habitable rooms for greater flexibility of use. The majority of apartments have generously proportioned private amenity space in the form of an external balcony or terrace with enough space for a table, chairs and plants. The circulation areas include a large atrium space and glazed picture windows that allow natural light into the interior of the building. The accommodation within the existing school buildings includes an open deck access arrangement around a beautiful 'cloister' garden. This approach provides greater opportunity for dual aspect dwellings and an animated facade in this part of the site.

The scheme includes four separate communal garden areas each with a distinct character including an intimate cloister garden, main communal terrace, resident's sensory route and activity garden. The architectural approach reflects the richness and variety within the conservation area with high quality brick detailing, rendered bays and areas of timber providing texture and warmth at contact level. Orbit's ambition for the scheme is that it becomes a centre of excellence with well trained, specialist staff, working at the cutting edge of care for the elderly in a beautiful and functional environment.