Seven Hills, Weybridge

The 64-bedroom home designed by Harris Irwin on behalf of Barchester Healthcare is made up of eight self-contained ‘households’ over the ground and first floor of the building, each with access to its own private external space.

The smaller bed groups not only allow for a more a homely and familiar feel for the residents but act as a safer and easily isolated space should Covid-19 or another pandemic/epidemic continue to be a threat to care provision in the UK.

The fundamental design of Seven Hills is derived from a need to keep the building positioned as low as possible within its surrounding context of St.Georges Hill. This has led the design to take on a sense of residential scale and form

Through the use of a mixed pallet of materials and architectural detailing drawn from what is prevalent in the surrounding area the design starts to develop its own sense of identity whilst remaining respectful to the rich and diverse buildings in the local. 

To accompany the building design, a specialist dementia friendly landscape design has been proposed to compliment the building and bring a connection between internal and external spaces through the use of sheltered terraces and patios.

The concept of the ‘household’ model is derived from Harris Irwin’s own focused design development over the last 18 months specifically looking to provide better dementia friendly care environments and new design solutions which will minimise the spread of Covid-19 in care settings.

This draws on the expertise from the Netherlands, where we have an office, and our experience of working in the care sector over the last 25 years.