£3m brain injury centre for Liverpool

Published: 4-Apr-2013

Work begins on purpose-built residential facility

A £3m residential care facility for adults with brain injuries is being constructed in Liverpool.

Seddon Construction has started work this week on Oak Vale Gardens in Broadgreen.

The development, commissioned by Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCP), will provide accommodation for adults with acquired brain injuries and complex health and social care needs.

With 18 bedrooms, each with en-suite wetrooms, the building will comprise two wings accessed via the main central atrium. Each wing will have nine bedrooms as well as a fully-accessible kitchen, laundry, lounge area, offices and clinical spaces. The central building will house office and reception spaces, education and training facilities, meeting rooms, storage areas and sluice and laundry rooms. There will also be therapy and activity areas which open onto the rear gardens. Additional ancillary support such as offices and a main kitchen will be located at ground-floor level overlooking the carpark, improving surveillance to the front of the site.

Located on a two-acre site, the building has been designed to provide all care accommodation at first-floor level, with the facility appearing single storey from the approach from The Green and the two-storey element only noticeable from the entrance elevation and to Broad Green Road.

A spokesman for HSCP said: “This will be home to a number of residents and therefore it is a place that is welcoming in appearance as well as being a positive, beneficial and uplifting environment to live in. It has to be a high-quality building of traditional appearance with durable materials and with projecting bays that identify the main living areas as more pronounced that the bedrooms, while the central element is more contemporary and defines the junction between the two units.”

The introduction of hipped ends and the overall building shape has allowed the roofline to be reduced and for the building to be less dominant than the current three-storey pub which is located on the site. Clerestory glazing on the main roof will also help to break up the building’s profile and provide additional daylight.

Externally, the gardens will include footpaths and walking routes, raised flowerbeds and seating areas, which have been designed to enable wheelchair access and can be seen from all rear bedrooms.

The development, which has been designed by Condy Lofthouse Architects, is due to be completed in October.

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