Wilberforce House

Client:

The Wilberforce Trust

Sector:

Health Care, Residential

Project Value:
£8 million

Duration:
104 weeks

Project Overview

Design and build of 30 new apartments plus a living and learning community hub. The project incorporated a new substation on site to service the new development.

Scope of Works

The Wilberforce Trust has supported blind and partially sighted people across York since 1833.

Wilberforce House was the Trust’s vision to deliver innovative extra care housing designed especially for people with a visual impairment and other disabilities, the first of its kind for York and surrounding areas.

Wilberforce House offers 30 one-bed, open-plan apartments, along with a Living & Learning Zone– providing education and leisure activities – a community cafe and offices for the Trust’s HQ.

Wilberforce House offers self-contained apartments that include some of the latest assistive technology; a friendly environment encouraging independent living with access to 24/7 on-site care and support.

Challenges & Our Approach

Delivering an Inclusive, High-Quality Design

The key challenge was to deliver a high-quality, inclusive design that met the complex needs of residents with visual impairments and additional disabilities, while creating a safe, intuitive, and welcoming living environment. This required careful consideration of specialist design standards alongside real-world user experience, balancing accessibility, flexibility, and quality of life.

This challenge was successfully met through a courtyard-based layout that promotes simple navigation and security, supported by a range of adaptable internal spaces. The design incorporates flexible layouts with sliding partitions, generous apartments with reduced barriers, and accessible features such as wet rooms, rise-and-fall kitchens, and private outdoor spaces. A double-height communal Living Learning Zone provides an inspiring hub for social interaction, learning, and sensory engagement, resulting in a thoughtfully designed home that supports independence, dignity, and community.

Sustainability

The building is designed to make best use of materials so that the building remains cool in the summer and warm in the winter without unnecessarily wasting energy.

This has been achieved by highly thermally efficient wall and roof construction and ventilation, in addition the window glass has a specialist reflective surface to reflect heat in the summer and contain heat in the winter.

The windows are fitted with Low E glazing. In collaboration with the social enterprise York Community Energy, the project team installed solar panels and deliver de-carbonised energy to the Trust and their tenants, giving any excess generation for the wider community benefit.

Awards

The project secured the York Design award for large community development

Outcome

Ability to Delight

The building layout brings the community together in one inspiring fully accessible space. Circulation areas offer shared spaces, encouraging interaction, supporting interdependence and avoiding an ‘institutional feel’.

Many elements of digital assistive technology are used to provide tenants with greater control and freedom.

This enables independent living, reduces isolation and gives greater privacy and dignity. This project is making a significant difference to the lives of the tenants.

One tenant commented “now I can hear the birds from my balcony, this has made me feel really calm and at ease”.