Easy access accommodation for staff and patients and provision for a wide-range of facilities are the main cost factors in housing Ireland’s ageing population, writes David Johnston at Davis Langdon PKS

In addition to the general trend of an increasing population, Ireland is facing a period where we will see an increasing proportion of older people.
This changing demographic trend will lead to an increasing requirement for provision of services for the elderly in the health sector generally but also particularly in regard to provision of residential care.

We are seeing an increasing diversification in the mode of provision of such services with the emphasis on community and sheltered accommodation.

However, there will also be an increasing need for nursing homes to cater for the needs of those who are physically infirm and/or suffering from some degree of dementia.

One such development in Kilternan, Co Dublin - Glebe House, designed by RO'BH Architects – is typical in many ways of the new type of nursing home scheme that is emerging in Ireland’s healthcare sector.

The project further advances a design developed for Gascoigne House in Rathmines which was the first nursing home developed by Cowper Care Ltd.

The nursing home has 46 beds, approximately 80% of which are single bedrooms, the remainder double or treble rooms. All bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms designed to cater for the physically infirm and wheelchair users.

Cowper Care’s new nursing home is situated on an elevated green field site in the foothills of the Dublin mountains. The development also includes 22 two-bed sheltered housing units which face onto the nursing home, which acts as the focal point of the scheme.

The building is single-storey with the plan layout in the shape of a “K”, three accommodation wings and a day-care wing all converging at a central area.

The K-form layout provides easy access for residents to the open plan sitting and dining area. This area opens onto the garden and is discreetly overseen by the nurses’ station.

The result is a concourse that is a hub of activity, a focal point accentuated by a large pyramid rooflight. The day-care wing accommodates staff facilities and the day care centre which provides a range of facilities to meet the needs of both day users and residents.

These include chiropody, physiotherapy, craft/therapy, prayer rooms and a pharmacy.

“A feature of all Cowper Care developments is the attention to reducing energy consumption,” says Denis Handy at RO’BH Architects, “exceeding by far the Building Regulation requirements and easily meeting SEI grant standards.”

Glebe House uses geothermal energy from 12 170m deep bore holes with heat pumps, underfloor heating and heat recovery ventilation. The adjoining sheltered housing has air-to-water heat pumps and solar water heating.

“Investment in high insulation standards and sustainable sources of energy is a critical long term strategy for a non-profit organisation caring for older residents in 24 hour occupation and requiring higher temperatures,” adds Handy.

“The forms of construction and finishes in the building are relatively traditional, aiming for high durability and low maintenance, but adapted to provide very high levels of insulation.”