Darwin Court, London

Project Selection

Darwin Court may contain a number of the following features but it has been identified by the Steering Committee specifically because it:

The following project description combines information gathered from the Peabody Trust website www.peabody.org.uk and prior visits to Darwin Court by project ACSA consultant Roland Naufal.

Project Overview

Darwin Court has been recognised by the UK National Housing Federation as one of the three leading schemes in the UK to provide independent living for older people. Completed in 2003, it was London’s first development devoted to the housing, employment, training, health and leisure needs of over-50s.

Darwin Court is located in Elephant and Castle in the London Borough of Southwark.

Why it is an innovative project

Darwin Court was designed to create and inspire a mixed use community with the facilities required to meet the changing needs of older people. It was London’s first development devoted to the housing, employment, training, health and leisure needs of over-50s. Seven years later, Darwin Court is still recognised as being ahead of its time for combining innovative housing solutions with inclusive community services. Darwin Court is now a dynamic community hub in south London.

The building offers a combination of living space, workspace and shared facilities. The founding principles behind this design solution are the promotion of mutual help without the loss of individual independence, enhancing quality of life and changing the way we think about providing for older people in the future. The scheme promotes self-development and social activities.

Darwin Court forms a focus for the surrounding community and has helped rejuvenate the local area. For example, swimming in Elephant and Castle has developed significantly since the introduction of the facilities at Darwin Court with on average over eight hundred users per week. Community groups such as Muslim women, older people and schools have particularly benefited.

The needs of those living in Darwin Court have clearly been paramount in the design process and the feedback from older people in the consultation process has been taken on board. Darwin Court put a lot of effort into community consultation during design and development of the project and the outcome is an engaged and vibrant community.

Darwin Court succeeds in part because:

A lot of effort was put into the process for maximising community ownership of the project before and after construction

An enabling culture has been developed through highly skilled leadership and management

The mix of residents is controlled to ensure no group dominates

Flexibility is built into the building in design, tenure, facilities and programs

Lifetime home or universal design standards have been employed.

Built environment

The Darwin Court development comprises 76 apartments known as 'Lifetime Homes' on the first floor and above. Forty of these flats are designated for supported housing (older people who require formal service support) while the remainder are for general needs.

Darwin Court provides a combination of living space, workspace and shared facilities - including communal centre, social care and health and fitness. The health and leisure facilities for residents and the local community include a swimming pool, healthcare suite, an IT suite and a multi-purpose room/dance studio for meetings and social events.  The building design incorporates communal roof terrace and balconies to encourage community. Tenants are able to keep pets in their flats.

The flats vary in size; layout and accessibility is not standard. Some flats have larger dining areas with open plan kitchens where others have enclosed kitchens. The master bedrooms of the 39 two-bedroom flats are wheelchair accessible. Ten flats have walk-in showers.

The flats are designed to be easily adapted to meet the changing needs of tenants, level access showers can be installed when required. The kitchens of eight wheelchair accessible flats are equipped with appliances, the other flats are rented unfurnished.

The build cost of Darwin Court was approximately £13m.

Service model

All tenancies are designed for independent living so as tenants’ needs change, care packages tailored to meet the individual’s needs are provided to enable residents to sustain their tenancy and independence. Around 50% of tenants are in receipt of funded support and some are in receipt of care packages.

Personal alarms are available to tenants who are in need of this level of support and there is on-site support to respond during office hours and call centre response outside of these hours. There is a full-time support worker and tenants have access to 24-hour help via the central control. In addition, caretaker support is provided when required.

The dance studio holds a variety of classes, such as line dancing, t'ai chi and body conditioning; therapy rooms for homeopathy, Shiatsu massage, reflexology and counselling; meeting rooms for computer classes and drop in sessions. There is also a dedicated training centre which helps residents explore the potential of self-employment, and allows them to pass on their skills and knowledge to each other. These facilities and classes are open to both residents and the general public.

Who the project serves

Darwin Court is a pioneering scheme in the suburb of Elephant and Castle, London providing homes exclusively for people over 50 and facilities for the whole community. Elephant and Castle is predominantly multi-cultural with a diverse population with particularly low incomes and relatively high unemployment. The community has a large Bangladeshi and Muslim population. Ten percent of the population in Elephant and Castle is over 55.

Project Auspice

Peabody Trust is one of London's largest and oldest housing associations, as well as being a charity and community regeneration agency. Founded by George Peabody, an American philanthropist, in 1862, the Peabody Trust Group now owns or manages 20,000 properties across 27 London boroughs, housing nearly 50,000 people. Peabody Trust provides accommodation to some of the most disadvantaged and socially excluded people in London.

Peabody Trust is a social housing association whose services include homes for sale and rent, social housing, supported housing and sheltered housing. The Trust also works with local communities, the Greater London Authority, local government and a wide range of voluntary, private and public sector partners.