Llys Awelon Extra Care, Ruthin

Llys Awelon is an Extra Care scheme in Ruthin, Denbighshire, providing an additional 35no. self-contained one and two bed apartments with 24-hour care. The scheme involves the demolition of the existing Awelon Care Centre and Canolfan Awelon and the construction of the new facilities linked to the block of 17no. existing extra care apartments which were completed in 2008.

The site is located within a conservation area close to the centre of Ruthin. As well as the 18no. two bed and 17no. one bed self-contained units, a range of communal facilities are provided including a residents lounge and dining rooms to encourage social interaction. A sensory garden has been formed to the eastern boundary which provides a separate quiet and secluded private space for the residents.

A palette of natural materials has been used to reflect the colour palette of the town and existing buildings. The proposed external materials include stone cladding of a colour and texture to match the adjacent buildings within the conservation area, as well as planes of white render and metal cladding. The varied elevation profile helps break the massing of the building and avoid large unbroken linear elevations or an institutional appearance.

Following the planning approval in April, and the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Grŵp Cynefin and the design team produced a comprehensive ‘COVID 19 Response Report’ which reviewed the design and potential amendments to enhance the future safety and wellbeing of the building in accordance with the COVID-19 best practice guidance. Measures were reviewed and evaluated using a traffic light system of cost implications, with a number of options implemented to ensure a ‘healthy’ extra care development once constructed.

Drone photographs courtesy of Read Construction.