All in the Design
The Trust's buildings have evolved in response to Service
Users' needs, says architect Colin Wright.
The brief from The Disabilities Trust has always been to create
services with a community housing feel, not like an institution. They were ahead
of the game in commissioning buildings with en-suite facilities for all Service
Users, for example, when that wasn't standard practice.
When I first met the Trust, I got the feeling they wanted to create
better services than the large, rural institutions that were common at that
time.
The service we designed in Cramlington is a good example of a
different kind of thinking. Rather than have all the bedrooms in one place,
there are groups of eight flats clustered around communal areas to create a
more family-sized approach. This was novel at the time and caused some controversy.
One big change is the trend towards creating flats rather than
bedrooms or bedsits. The new brain injury service at 1101 Bristol Road in Birmingham,
for example, is made up entirely of self-contained flats. Another new service
at Kerwin Court is a mix of flats and large bedsits.
The Disabilities Trust has always been prepared to think afresh
and I'm sure that their thinking will continue to develop. Young disabled people
now want types of services and buildings quite unlike those that were acceptable
in the 1970s and 80s. The trend is therefore likely to be towards smaller types
of services.
And it's not just indoors either. The Trust has always paid attention
to landscaping. Not just paving slabs and potted plants but creating attractive
areas where people want to sit. That's part of creating a quality service too.
Colin Wright was Executive Director of Bournville Architects,
which designed six of the Trust's services between 1992 and 2005.
Back
to 'A Trust Remembered'.
back to top
|
