Holton Lee Spinal Injury Centre
New spinal injury care centre for Livability in Poole
Set in 350 acres of SSSI at Holton Lee, Livability Holton lee provides specialist respite and rehabilitation services to those with spinal cord injury in a home from home environment as part of a wider wellbeing and discovery centre.
WDA were appointed to remodel and completely refurbish and extend the former care home, rectifying numerous issues with the existing building. In the process we created a safe and fully accessible, safe and welcoming space for patients.
A welcoming and fully accessible centre
The residential facility will provide a bespoke transitional ‘step down’ care programme for people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and potentially other disabling conditions. The intention is to use the site for short term rehabilitation packages for people to come for fixed times, rather than a long-term residential placement.
Provision is therefore to have less of a clinical feel and be more of a homely nature. This relates to both the style of support and the physical environment that is created. Supporting people on their journey to a fulfilling, independent life was key and the building and its services assist development towards this.
Before
After
The centre now provides 24 hour nursing care within a fully accessible environment with 13 en-suite bedrooms, communal rooms, therapy gym and training kitchen. Training is provided for patients transitioning back to their own home, to help them cope and relearn essential skills after an injury.
The accessible training kitchen was to designed solely to allow disabled patients who are wheelchair bound to receive adaptive training in a specialised facility that might be installed in their own home in the future and develop independence following rehabilitation. The overall design of the kitchen needed to be domestic in appearance as far as practicable.
Before
After
Vice Patron of Livability Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, the 12th Earl of Shaftesbury also attended and spoke at the opening saying “as someone that has sustained and recovered from a spinal cord injury, I know personally what a life-changer it is and why the need for good rehabilitation is vital”.
Plans were also approved to extend Faith House, a light and airy self-contained venue building to provide an additional function room with spectacular views across the Dorset Countryside and Poole Harbour.
Plans were also approved to extend Faith House, a light and airy self-contained venue building to provide an additional function room with spectacular views across the Dorset Countryside and Poole Harbour.
As Livability Patron, HRH The Princess Royal formally opened the Centre at Holton Lee, by Western Design Architects in 2017 and discussed the “importance of such a facility”.
Contractor Stepnell Ltd
Structural Engineer Graham Garner & Partners
Quantity Surveyor Align
M&E Engineer Worldwise Ltd
Lifts Orona UK
Windows Smart Window Systems
Completion Date 2017
Project Value £900,000
Photography Stepnell Ltd
