Recent sketches by RT’s residential team of a supported accommodation scheme for adults with learning disabilities and autism, proposing 4 homes and accompanying support staff space embedded within a communal sensory garden.
Adults are living with ever more complex conditions and wish to live independently in the community. Housing authorities report difficulties in finding suitable properties which support the transition out of institutional settings or parental homes.
For this resident group the design process is an exercise in balancing independence versus safety and wellbeing. From the outset the design intent looked to allow residents to live with privacy and dignity in dwellings that felt homely and were also adaptable to meet any current and future mobility and sensory needs. The sensory landscaping proposal with looping path and seasonal planting scheme was designed to allow residents to enjoy the green space without leaving the site or risking disorientation.