Fulbourn Road, Cambridge

Set within the ground of a Listed former hospital building, on the edge of a conservation area and within the Green Belt the site came with its challenges.

Six tired semi-detached 1940's houses providing 18 inadequate bedsits for those needing assisted living were demolished to make way for new purpose built homes designed for independent living yet set within a community setting.

Fulbourn Road, Cambridge - view through main gates

Extensive consultation took place with the Parish Council and residents to ensure both typology and character met their aspirations. The traditional almshouse became the common theme to the consultations delivering a scale, setting and character unobtrusive to the wider setting.

The project creates 18 new one and two bedrooms homes for existing residents ensuring improved living conditions, increased independence and greater privacy whilst preserving existing relationships and maintaining existing networks of support within the local area.

The timber frame construction, a fabric first approach to energy performance and integral photovoltaic panels have all contributed to a good building performance and low energy bills for residents. Externally, sustainable drainage, the planting of native species and a host of ecological feature has enhanced the site ecological contribution.

As part of Cambridge’s city wider public art strategy, provision for a sculpture or artwork informed the landscape design. Matthew Lane Sanderson was commissioned to create a central focal point for the courtyard garden. ‘portrait of the forces that shape our character’ is an interpretation of the electromagnetic fields associated with the brain and the heart. The 2.4m tall egg-shaped, galvanised steel sculpture is designed to draw viewer to look through the tunnel chamber where both two halves join. An uplighter transforms the grey metal sculpture at night into a radiant focal point.