Architecture and Adaptation
This theme explores ideas associated with the buildings, including adaptation of existing and development of new almshouses. During the research we looked across a range of almshouses of different ages, styles and sizes to see what works. The historic architecture of almshouses is important to everyone in the community – those living there, working there or merely walking past. There are multiple policy documents that guide existing and new buildings, whether it is referring to energy use, design, materials, planning new developments or how our built environment affects the rest of the natural world. External space, communal areas, use of materials, accessibility, stairs, door width, daylight, feeling warm and feeling safe are all key design features, and this is not an exhaustive list. What we have learnt through this project is the impact design has on the lived experience of residents and staff, and the difference careful design of almshouses makes to daily life, including designing in communal spaces and gardens and considering where new almshouses are located. Given the varied nature of almshouse accommodation, there will always be a range of solutions to the range of issues faced, some of which are outlined here.
With about 15% of homes in England built before 1900, and almost half our homes built between 1930 and 1982 (ONS 2022), nationally we face a priority to retrofit our existing dwellings to reduce the energy it takes to heat them. Almshouse charities have a further pressure, with around a quarter of the total number of almshouses being Grade II listed. Adaptation is a critical issue, whether it is being able to adapt your own home, thinking about how to adapt homes to the changing needs of residents or responding to climate change and energy security. Residents living in older properties understood the limitations presented by the age of the property, and the potential limitations to adaptation: “… we do know they’re old buildings. They get a bit damp, which we understand … But, no, it’s just lovely, we love it” (Residents 33 and 34).
Flexibility around adaption and making the most of opportunities to improve, extend or convert almshouses are a common thread for our partner charities. Although some adaptations are harder to implement, residents appreciate the need for ongoing adaptation when properties become empty. A common adaptation of this type is installing a wet room to replace an old bathroom, harder to complete with a resident still living there. This is a critical issue for residents when their lives change, and the building cannot adapt to their new needs:
“this wasn’t designed for a wheelchair, but I didn’t have a wheelchair when I moved in here. But it has got everything else I want, so I am prepared to put up with the inconvenience of narrow doors …”
(Resident 6).
Through the interviews and focus groups, residents made explicit comment on the design features of their almshouses, describing positive aspects in terms of light, ease of movement, wide corridors and doorways, and generous views. Views are important for residents for a range of reasons. Views do not only have to be into the garden: views over and into courtyards, onto a street, and over rooftops, were all talked about as connecting residents to external activities, other people and nature. They also highlighted where the design did not address older peoples’ needs. This often focused on access, stairs and paths. One resident felt that age had not been considered in the design of their home: “… whoever designs these places doesn’t design them for our age group” (Residents 1 and 2). Residents drew on earlier experience from other types of accommodation they had come from, comparing it to the almshouse they now lived in:
“… looking at the design of the building I think they’ve done a brilliant design … I feel like I’m in a hotel at the moment”
(Residents 61, 45, 62, 63 and 64).
Residents could see when an inclusive design approach had been taken, and how that benefited them:
“When it was designed, it was designed for disabled people, which is the main benefit for me”
(Resident 39).
Including the people who will be using the almshouse (to live or to work in) during the process of design and accessing ideas and knowledge of what works and what does not work for people at different times in their lives, are important considerations. Inclusive design processes are increasingly being embedded in the protocols, policies and procedures for designing and developing buildings and services, and it is important to remember that those are often minimum standards (such as the building regulations). Thinking, and planning, ahead and designing in adaptation across the life of the building and the life of the residents is key, and the ambitions of trustees and staff often outpaces their current achievements, especially where ambitions sit beyond compliance. Adaptation in the form of retrofitting for energy conservation is something charity partners are increasingly having to consider alongside alternative energy sources, such as heat pumps, solar panels, and bulk buying fuel (see Climate and Comfort).
More changes to legislation are proposed through the Future Homes Standard which may help bring about higher performance standards for housing and impact energy use and conservation. Future-proofing the UK’s housing stock is a challenge, and one that is increasingly being discussed through the identified need for retrofitting, with the emphasis on energy conservation. Not all almshouses will be adaptable. As almshouses range widely in size, style and age, the distinctive design aspects of different almshouses present their own challenges and opportunities. Historic features and heritage conservation imperatives (including listed buildings) can present one of the biggest challenges for almshouse charities. This will increasingly become an issue as both performance targets for housing change through regulation and as residents’ needs change, and is something those governing almshouses are increasingly thinking about how to tackle in new developments:
“We need to know that the houses that we’re going to build are going to be insulated properly, that they are going to be as energy efficient as they possibly can be, that they are going to be able to create an environment that is going to be fit for purpose for [our residents] in five, ten, fifteen, twenty years’ time … can we build that in a dementia friendly way to futureproof it?”
(Governance 12).
The current cost-of-living crisis is exerting increasing pressures on residents. Trustees and managers of almshouse charities are having to act on energy conservation measures to reduce bills and to meet legislation, both for existing properties and when considering building new homes. Balancing costs to the charity, costs to the residents and costs to the planet is difficult as we move towards reducing carbon emissions. The development process can take a long time, especially for a charity that has to raise funding as well as go through potentially complex planning processes. This can mean that decisions taken today to develop new or comprehensively adapt existing homes may not be completed as a built project for several years. This can be ameliorated through local collaborations with councils, or other partners (such as other almshouse charities) who can help with the processes. Expertise and funding needs to be more readily available to those who have responsibility for almshouses as
“we don’t want to make climate change worse. And one of the main ways of making climate change worse is by knocking buildings down and rebuilding them. And we are doing that, but it will be a much more energy efficient building, it will be a building that is comfortable in higher temperatures”
(Governance 11).
Trusts face an uncertain future where compliance requirements are also uncertain. Frequent shifts and gaps in policy over the last decade and continuing uncertainty makes it very difficult for charities, forcing them to take a guess at future regulation and needing to balance the risks from doing this:
“we’re not quite entirely certain of what full compliance will look like, against a measure that hasn’t been decided yet”
(Governance 17).
