Introduced to us by McClarrons Care Network partner, Care Improvement Associates, we spoke to Tim Erkiert, Director and Chartered Architectural Technologist at ViewForm Architects, who provided us with a guest blog post discussing how to mitigate risks when developing care home properties, from project inception to completion.
The following is a list of questions Tim helps answer for those considering building care home properties:
What attracts you to care home design?
My passion for architectural design in construction began with my childhood love of LEGO and seeing the ‘bricks and mortar’ of building processes. Additionally, my Grandpa, a bricklayer, and my Grandfather, a mechanical engineer, were significant inspirations.
Observing their later years, I grew to appreciate how subtle design changes can greatly enhance an older person’s quality of life. Whether it’s the welcoming atmosphere of a reception area, the familiar artwork and items that evoke personal connections, or the thoughtful layout and accessibility of living spaces, these elements profoundly impacted their experience.
These insights sparked a revelation for me; my interest in care home design was ignited. I realised that attention to detail could revolutionise the industry. My new passion became care home design trends, incorporating the latest technology, research, and operational procedures.
After eight years of specialising in care home architectural design and construction, we established ViewForm Architects Ltd. ViewForm Architects are dedicated to serving the care home industry, including facilities for the elderly, assisted living accommodations, and units for individuals with complex behavioural needs.
We have aspirations of how to expand our care home business but where do we start?
Criteria considerations include the confirmation of service demand, the finances, the sites/locations, and the building design team. If you are able to establish demand with the local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) or within the private sector, then trained consultants will carry out detailed market research which can be used in the business plan. The business plan is important for potential access to finance packages, whether from commercial banks, real estate investment trusts (REITs), or from other borrowing sources if necessary. This could involve potential sites being appraised in order to advise on available capacity and planning constraints.
We have looked for potential sites but are unsure about the size required. What do we need to consider?
This depends on the proposed care home and the type of care it will offer. As a quick guide, a 70-bedroom care home with three floors would need at least one acre of land. However, depending on the location, innovative solutions may be employed to maximise a site’s potential.
What are the typical constraints for the development of a care home?
When appraising a site, the local planning history from previous applications is reviewed. The local planning policy typically changes on a 10-year cycle so if a site has been unsuccessful in the past, then it is not necessarily the case that it will be rejected again, as there may have been policy changes and the local demographic has shifted. The local plan would again be reviewed for potential opportunities. For example, there are instances of care homes being approved on Green Belt land if Special Circumstances are demonstrated.
Other factors include if the site is within a flood risk zone, local ecology constraints, if the site is or contains listed buildings, and if it’s within a conservation area.
The locations and uses of surrounding buildings are considered in order to allow for suitable spacing, helping avoid overlooking issues, access to highway infrastructure, the topography of the site, and the availability of utility services.
Other considerations include the condition of existing trees, and if they have Tree Protection Orders (TPOs), rights of way, and other local site-specific factors. For example, a site may be in an affluent area with a higher-than-average house value and with access to a local workforce.
How do I appraise if a site is in the correct location, and how many bedrooms it could contain?
Taking into account the site constraints mentioned above, a concept sketch would help pinpoint the appropriate locations for specific building blocks, known as ‘massing’.
The building blocks are typically located to provide an entrance environment adjacent to a parking area, ancillary services which may have a separate entrance for day-to-day deliveries for consumables, and ‘household’ blocks which would contain the facilities expected in a modern care home and required by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). These include adequately sized bedrooms with en-suite facilities, day space for socialising and dining, and service rooms. The exact arrangement would depend on your care home needs and aspirations.
How would a purpose-built care home benefit over existing non-purpose-built stock?
New care homes should be economically planned so as to optimise staffing for day and night shifts. We understand a key challenge to the care home industry is the availability of staff, which also creates the largest expenditure.
New buildings are designed according to the cited-approved document for the best use of fuel and power; new buildings are typically more energy-efficient, leading to reduced ongoing costs.
There is also an opportunity to surpass the required standards to further reduce anticipated costs, for example, the inclusion of low-energy heating systems such as air-source heat pumps, the design of built-in, concealed PV arrays, provision of safe access, increased levels of ‘air tightness’ and thermal insulation. The purpose-designed care home would also address factors relating to Fire Safety to ensure that the compartmentation, fire-stopping and evacuation procedures are exemplary.
What is the process of building a new care home, and what can be done to limit our exposure to risks?
We would always advocate the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) work stages, details of which can be found on their website here.
Stages 0-2 typically involve brief development and liaison with the local authority with a pre-planning application. With recent planning changes, this is now essential as the ‘second go free’ option is now abolished. Previously, if an application was refused, retrospective changes could be made to help make the application documents more suitable, however, this is no longer permitted. The pre-planning application fee is typically 10-20% of the full planning fee, depending on the individual local authority and use type.
It is well known the planning process is notoriously slow. A pre-planning application ensures the planners have all the required information from the outset, making for a smoother process.
Planning Performance Agreements can also be set up for an additional fee to harmonise the relationship between the local planning team and the applicant, with the aim to reduce the determination period of applications. This is essential if an ‘option agreement’ with a time limit has been contracted as part of a land sale.
What are the typical costs of construction to build a care home and associated architects’ fees?
We would always advocate employing a project manager from the start, along with a quantity surveyor, to provide costings for projects.
Early indicative costs can be undertaken by assessing abnormal risks associated with sites and a ‘square metre’ rate for similar recently built projects.
Professional fees are roughly indicated based on anticipated construction values, the size of the proposed building, and additional constraints; however, consultants should detail out deliverables required within each RIBA work stage to ensure there are adequate resources to service the projects from inception to completion.
What changes will the Building Safety Act cause within the industry?
The Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022 was introduced following the tragic failures in building safety that led to the Grenfell Tower Fire and subsequent deaths of seventy-two people. The Act is designed to take forward a fundamental reform of the building safety system and address the issues identified by Dame Judith Hackitt DBE in her independent review, Building a Safer Future. Under the BSA, there will be a requirement for a ‘Principal Contractor’ and ‘Principal Designer’ to be nominated when submitting an application and a requirement for those roles to demonstrate competency, ensuring what is built is fully recorded and suitable for the purpose.
The Building Safety Act 2022 defines a “higher-risk building” as a building in England that is at least 18 metres in height or has at least seven storeys and, for the purpose of the part of the new regulation for occupied buildings, contains at least two residential units, which includes care homes. However, it should be noted that care homes are rarely above 18m in height.
There has also been a shift in building control where it is now clear in their code of conduct that the role is not a design role, so emphasis falls back onto the design team to ensure the building is compliant with the building regulation-approved documents and built to the highest standard.
How ViewForm Architects and McClarrons can help
If you would like to find out more about ViewForm Architects and how they can help you develop your care home, visit viewformarchitects.co.uk. Alternatively, if you have any queries that haven’t been covered above, please contact Tim at tim@viewformarchitects.co.uk.
If you would like to discuss residential care homes and nursing homes insurance with us at McClarrons, you can find out more on our Specialist Care Home Insurance webpage here or contact our Care & Social Welfare Insurance Team on 01653 600477 or at care@mcclarroninsurance.com.
