Extra-care housing

In recent years, the development of specialised sheltered ‘extra-care’ housing has attracted significant attention as a means of providing an independent and supportive environment for later life.

Although this form of accommodation offers a range of potential benefits to residents (as one of a number of housing options in later life), the complexities around housing tenure, capital and revenue funding, design quality, care provision, and building management pose a number of challenges for those responsible for design and delivery.

A wide range of agencies – from national policy-makers, local government, care providers, housing associations, private developers, architects and researchers – have examined the challenges of briefing, designing, procuring and managing a viable and sustainable specialised housing offer.

This DWELL working document draws together this existing policy and practice, with the aim of developing a set of clear briefing and design principles for new-build extra-care housing.

DWELL extra-care housing (PDF, 9.4MB)