The former Thornton’s factory is repurposed and extended to provide this community with high-quality residential care and a new public library. By re-purposing and extending the building’s spaces, the historic character embodies local heritage whilst dispelling the stigma commonly associated with buildings for the elderly.

Where is the project located?
Ada Belfield Centre and Belper Library, Derwent Street, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 1WN
 
Who is the developer/client of the project? 
Derbyshire County Council

Belper is an attractive riverside market town with a rich industrial heritage, located at the centre of the Derwent Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The population of Belper is older than the national average, it has a significantly low immigrant population, and the general health and income of residents is also lower than the national average. Additionally, the rate of unemployment is both lower in Belper than the Derbyshire and national average. 

As a community-focused building, the scheme provides this community with high-quality residential care and a new public library. The facility was commissioned by Derbyshire County Council to support the elderly with serious age-related illnesses such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Fondly regarded by the community, the former Thornton’s factory is an integral part of the development. The centre is designed to embody the local heritage, whilst positively dispelling the stigma commonly associated with buildings for the elderly. By re-purposing and extending the building’s spaces, the story of its past has been able to be celebrated. We worked with the Conservation Officer, the local community, and future residents to develop a sensitive and contextual design where the new additions sit harmoniously beside the existing environment.

The new community library breathes life back into the once derelict factory and surrounding area. The building and new public square provide a strong presence on Derwent Street as the historic building’s character features and double height volume are utilised to display the library’s welcoming interior.
 
Describe the intervention you’ve made including its purpose and motivation, as well as its viability or business case. 

830,000 people are estimated to be living with dementia in the UK. By 2025, this is predicted to rise to 1,000,000 and set to double to 2,000,000 by 2050. Prioritising age-friendly design should be central to tackling the wider housing crisis. The Ada Belfield Care Centre and Belper Library addresses such increasing requirements by creating a high-quality care environment for elderly people. 

Although the buildings were not listed, we treated them as such, repurposing spaces and celebrating its past. We developed sensitive and contextual design solutions and worked with Conservation experts. Repurposing as much of the existing fabric was key, and it was also the most sustainable option. This approach resulted in less demolition waste, reclamation of existing materials and reduction of the building’s carbon footprint.

The aim was to create a space with ‘heart’ and, although the existing factory was in an advanced derelict state, thorough surveys allowed us to identify areas we could rescue. This included the main corner building, which became the library, and the entire Derwent Street façade. These were the most historic parts of the site, as well as being the most visually accessible to the public.

The new community library is housed in the refurbished factory building on Derwent Street, taking advantage of the double height volume and character features of the historic building, with good levels of natural light. Large new glazed elements to the front elevation place the books on display, creating a strong presence and an inclusive space for community use.
 
How does this project make use of an existing structure, place or building in a creative way? Is it innovative? How will this project continue to evolve or enable future flexibility and adaptation? Have you considered its resilience? 

“A library with a care home is unusual, a fantastic and stimulating idea, a novel combination of uses to find” said Kathy MacEwen about the Ada Belfield Care Centre and Belper Library. You enter the main entrance foyer, where the Derbyshire sandstone of the exterior continues through to the interior, and you can go one of three ways: straight ahead for the care home, left to a public café on the square, or right to the library within the retained and fully refurbished element of the development. The 40-bed two-storey care home, for all its necessarily secure nature and enclosed courtyard design, is itself treated as being of civic importance. Through this innovative and considerate design, a feeling of respect is created. Before residents moved into the building, it functioned for a few months as an official small Nightingale Hospital, treating Covid-19 patients. The library will prove to be a valuable community asset post-pandemic. 

The new community library breathes life back into the formerly abandoned space. Taking advantage of the double height volume and character features of the historic building, large new glazed elements to the front elevation place the library’s collection on display, providing a strong presence onto Derwent Street as well as the new public square that has been created. Structural steel frame elements provide flexibility for the sub-division of the space and future adaptability or re-configuration.

Its resilience has been considered through careful material selection. Through this the predicted design life of the building is 60 years.

What is the environmental and social impact of the project? Please share evidence or data to support your entry.

From the earliest review of the brief, we took time to understand the location and siting for the centre. To ensure solutions could be embedded into the design, we collaborated with the client team to concentrate on reducing energy, water and embodied carbon which are key aspects of the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge. We achieved low-energy design by maintaining simplicity, efficiency in form, detail, construction, and operation. 

For example, the existing façade consisted of a single skin of brickwork meaning thermal performance needed to be enhanced. We fixed insulated plasterboard to the inside face with a ventilated cavity, allowing the existing wall to breathe. Additional insulation was added to the roof and floors to improve thermal efficiency.

The design of the building was driven by the desire to support the elderly with serious age-related illnesses such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s, taking away the stigma associated with such accommodation. The building enables residents to retain their independence, providing opportunities for social inclusion. Its integration with the local community facilitates this, allowing the residents to benefit from greater social interaction.

The centre has become a real community asset, further opening facilities to locals through bookable rooms. Additionally, the Centre has created local labour both during construction and in the longer-term, providing the community with employment opportunities within the completed Centre and Library.

Hugh Pearman, past editor of the RIBA Journal wrote, “a rare piece of public patronage... It is designed as a piece of townscape as much as a building...”.