Richmond Place is a unique elderly housing with supports scheme, setting a new standard for the future of housing provision for older people in Ireland and will act as an exemplar for others to follow. ‘Circle Voluntary Housing Association’ (CVHA), intends to develop this older persons Housing with Supports scheme. ‘Alone’, the national charity that helps older people to age at home, is working in partnership with CVHA to provide resident supports.
The development consists of 52 apartment dwellings (16 two bedroom apartments and 36 one/one and a half bedroom apartments). Communal facilities at ground floor level include a multi-purpose room, additional ancillary spaces and a publicly accessible tea room.
The brief specifies a provision of independent living accommodation that will be suitable for persons with high, medium and low support needs relating to their physical, mental and cognitive capacity. The overall aim of the project is to enable the residents to live in their own home as independently as they can with appropriate supports from the project. It is also recognised that the capacity of residents living there may diminish over time as per a normal ageing process. The project is aiming to provide independence, privacy and shared spaces for communal activities and socialisation.
The design of the communal facilities shows careful consideration in terms of access for the residents, staff and the public. The circulation routes within the facility were considered in terms of simplicity of access, the location of the certain rooms and the level of privacy required for the residents and staff. In effect, an inner space and outer space for residents and visitors.
A strategy for pedestrian and vehicular access was also required that can be managed for safety and security as this area of Inchicore develops and expands. The visibility of the access area is important for the monitoring of visitors and residents. The scale of the project is also important in terms of the adjacent buildings (Thornton Heights, Connolly Avenue and Richmond Barracks) and consideration of the future masterplan and development of the area.
Principally the concept is to create a village feel, orientated around courtyards, with the development having varying degrees of privacy. The entrance is public; residents and the community can enter through this space, meet visitors here, avail of supports in associated rooms; the community can utilise the public space and chiefly build on the opportunity to become an extension of the public realm in the future growth of Emmet Road.
