Coombes everitt architects is celebrating its ten-year anniversary of working in the specialist care sector.

The Cheltenham practice has seen increasing demand from the specialist care sector to bring practical, fresh design to living and education spaces for young people and adults with physical disabilities and learning difficulties.

"We've developed specialist expertise in this area over the past decade, achieving a home-away-from-home feeling for our clients. In addition to residential accommodation, our projects have also included welcoming and practical spaces for education, care and therapeutic support." said John everitt, director at coombes everitt.

"Our approach is to create designs that move away from the traditional institutional feel; to help occupants feel at home while ensuring they're still getting the best support - this is key to encouraging independence and promoting a high quality of life."

A quick glance at coombes everitt's portfolio offers plenty of evidence of this approach in practice. Among the successful projects are a Victorian vicarage and annex in Hereford which restored the building's original charm and character while creating a welcoming and practical space for education and for living.

National Star in Cheltenham is a repeat customer for the company roo. Its £6m Bradbury Gardens residential accommodation development provides a home-from-home environment for 25 young adults with a range of disabilities. The project won coombes everitt a Cheltenham Civic Society Award for design.

Their latest specialist care project is currently underway, a new £6m specialist residence at National Star's Ullenwood campus in Gloucestershire which is the first phase of a recently secured planning permission. This new residence will provide specially-adaptive accommodation for young people with disabilities that fully meets their complex needs and provides stimulating spaces to live, learn and relax.

"We are also working with private individuals to help create spaces for family members who need the freedom of independent living but who also require easy access to specialist support and care. We have recently constructed a fully accessible 2 bed home on a plot next to the family home enabling our clients' son to live independently in the community where he grew up" said Toby Coombes, director at coombes everitt.

Coombes everitt works closely with care experts and occupational therapists to design homes that make the most of available space and natural light, taking into account the individual needs of the occupants and offering comfortable domestic finishes to create a homely environment.

"Whether it's a new build from scratch or the refreshing and reworking of an existing building, we take into account everything from wheelchair turning circles and worktop heights through to bath positioning and discreet storage for medical equipment and medicines - always with an emphasis on, delivering these through beautiful design and the seamless inclusion of adaptive technologies"

In addition to the adaptive technologies, these projects typically include renewables such as air source heat pumps, heat recovery units, PV and solar panels to help mitigate running costs.

For more information on coombes:everitt architects, call 01242 807727 or visit https://ce-architects.co.uk/.