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Location: Bracknell, Berkshire
Client: Lifestory
Value: £9m
Status: RIBA Stage 3
Floringham Lodge
Floringham Lodge is a build-to-rent later-living community designed specifically for residents over 55, providing 42 high-quality apartments in Bracknell. ArchitecturePLB worked with Lifestory Group to transform the grounds of a former single dwelling into a thriving retirement community that promotes independent living whilst offering comprehensive support services and facilities.
The development comprises a balanced mix of 21 one-bedroom and 21 two-bedroom apartments arranged across three villa-style blocks. Each apartment is designed to be adaptable and ‘care ready’, with generous balconies and ample storage, whilst communal facilities include a drawing room, potting shed and gardens that encourage social interaction and community building. The scheme applies Lifestory's rigorous design principles focused on wellbeing, with circulation spaces carefully designed to foster serendipitous meetings between neighbours maintaining a sense of home.
Our architectural response was shaped by extensive character analysis of Old Bracknell Lane East and the wider area, identifying villa and pavilion typologies as the predominant building forms. We developed three distinct blocks linked by communal spaces, creating clear separation that breaks down the overall mass whilst maintaining efficient floor plans. The blocks step in height from two-and-a-half storeys at the street frontage to four storeys to the rear, responding to the natural fall in site levels and taking advantage of mature tree screening. This massing strategy ensures the development sits comfortably within its suburban context whilst maximising the number of dual-aspect apartments with good outlook and natural light.
The architectural language draws on the traditional materials found throughout Bracknell - red and buff brickwork with clay tiled roofs which drop onto the façades below - whilst employing contemporary detailing to create a refined, high-quality appearance. Lowered eaves lines at key boundaries reduce the perceived scale for neighbouring properties, and the main entrance is clearly announced through a prominent gable elevation facing Old Bracknell Lane East. A fabric-first approach to sustainability includes excellent insulation and air-tightness combined with an innovative ground source heat pump system providing both heating and cooling. Extensive mature trees are retained along all boundaries, preserving the site's designation as a landscape feature and creating a 'secret garden' setting that offers residents a high-quality environment.
Project Team
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