Moorland Road is one of three ‘Community Living’ scheme that are being developed concurrently by Cardiff Council as part of their Older Persons Housing Strategy. The scheme threads together thirteen one and two bed independent living apartments, a community centre and shared garden into a tight corner site within the dense Victorian neighbourhood of Splott in Cardiff.

The design responds to the specific housing requirements of its users, with the core principles established by HAPPI (Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation) being used to guide the process. All flats benefit from dual aspect living spaces with views into the shared garden, or onto improved areas that include retained mature trees.

The building is arranged as three distinct pitched volumes rising from three stories adjacent to the existing residential context to four stories at the street corner. Accommodation is located on the upper floors and reached through shared external balconies. Each is daylit and open ended, allowing views out to aid in orientation and navigation. Each apartment also contains a private external amenity space that is recessed into the building to provide shelter and allow use through a greater proportion of the year.

The new community centre is located on the ground floor and benefits from direct access to the shared garden, while also providing a visual link to this space from the street.

A simple and robust palette of materials is proposed, with generous, well-proportioned openings being arranged as a series of subtle horizontal bands, expressed through changes in orientation and relief, that reference the immediate and wider context. This is reinforced by the introduction of details including patterned glazed recesses that announce the primary access points for each use.

Location
Cardiff, Wales
Client
Cardiff Council