This stylish block of flats looks like an exclusive seaside development but is in fact a social housing scheme located in the London borough of Southwark.
Designed by architect Jestico + Whiles, Darwin Court is a pioneering project by housing association the Peabody Trust to provide homes for the over 50s complete with a range of social, care and educational facilities.
The £6.8m scheme is designed to accommodate residents’ changing needs as they grow older, removing the need for them to move to dedicated sheltered housing in later life. The development contains 76 flats of which eight are designated for frail people. This ratio could change, as all the flats have been designed to Lifetime Homes principles, meaning they can be easily adapted as people age. For example, walls separating bathrooms from living areas have knock-out panels, making it easy to change the flat’s layout should the need arise. Facilities also exist for fitting hoists between bathrooms and bedrooms and shower trays can be easily installed in place of baths as all drainage pipes are below floor level.
A strong social theme runs through the development. The ground floor has a cafe and common room that doubles as a space for social functions. The landings between flats are generous and the flats themselves have shared balconies to promote socialising. Potentially declining levels of fitness are tackled with a gymnasium and a swimming pool. There is a special sitting and dining area for frail people, but to prevent the development becoming an old people’s ghetto, local people are encouraged to use the cafe and pool, too.
Project team
client Peabody Trust
architects Jestico + Whiles
structural engineer Whitbybird
quantity surveyor Philip Pank Partnership
main contractor Walter Llewellyn & Sons
Tips for specifying social housing
Social housing providers are encouraged by the government and bodies such as the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships to use modern methods of construction. These approaches are now used in more than 80% of Willmott Dixon Housing's projects – which makes Brendan Ritchie, Willmott Dixon's innovation director, the ideal person to dispense some specification advice.
1 Framing systems
Get frame suppliers to appraise designs early on. Don't let manufacturing processes dictate design but do try to minimise costs before the scheme is submitted for planning approval.
2 Design
Don't just focus on the product – look at what the prospective supplier can offer in terms of design support. If they can't invest the time to ensure integration of their ideas with the design team, you will be heading for trouble.
3 Accreditation
Be aware of the need for appropriate third-party accreditation such as BRE or British Board of Agrément certification. For major elements, accreditation can smooth the route to mortgage and insurance provision. Check all accommodation types on the scheme are accredited.
4 Cladding
In many ways, the humble brick is a hard act to follow – it's robust, requires little maintenance and when specified, designed and built correctly, is aesthetically appealing. Alternatives based on lightweight frames have considerable appeal but always check performance accreditation for durability, fire, sound and insulation. Watch out for products that claim to require low skill levels for installation but turn out to need expensive approved installers to comply with accreditation requirements.
5 Windows and external doors
The benefits of off-site manufacture extend to doors and windows – for example, preglazed and decorated timber windows and doorsets. Check for approval from the police's security initiative Secured by Design. Ensure timber is sourced from sustainably managed forests.
6 Bathroom pods
Factory-assembled bathrooms are an obvious solution on schemes with high levels of repetition. However, they are expensive for general schemes where bathrooms vary, unless you can ensure that architects use standardised bathroom types.
Social housing
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