In the winter of 2011 Catalyst were approached by one of our major clients to provide the inspiration for the interior spaces of a new care home to be built on the site of a former local authority care home in Huddersfield.

The existing care home was deemed to be no longer fit for purpose and was to be demolished and replaced with a new 60 bed facility. Our brief was to design contemporary interior spaces with some areas specifically designed for dementia.

This booklet maps the journey from conceptual design through to completed project and shows what can be achieved when original & considerate design principles are integrated with an in-depth knowledge of the care sector.

The new care home was called "The Oakes" and opened in 2012.

The Oakes was nominated for the prestigious Pinders Healthcare Design Awards in 2013.

THE OAKES PROJECT

CatalystChallenging Convention

Delivering the future

THE OLD SITE

RECEPTION SCHEMERESTAURANT SCHEME

PREMIUM BEDROOM SCHEME CLASSIC BEDROOM SCHEME

THE PIANO LOUNGE

Doors open revealing large screen TV, Blue-Ray player & 5:1 surround sound system for the full cinema experience

Writing Desk in the Library

Relaxed seating for a quiet moment in relaxed surroundings

THE OAKES LIBRARY / CINEMA ROOM

Display area focussing on the local team, Huddersfield Town, with authentic signed memorabillia, books, programmes, and images of the stadium over the last 70 years.

The Dementia Suite features design principles to give residents the most comfortable, safe and appropriate environment to live in.

Flooring is consistent throughout. Chairs contrast to thier background and feature contrast piping.

Central interactive area with rummage boxes containing various themed items such as "Laundry Day", "Baking Day" etc.

Physical and interactive items grouped into themed areas to assist wayfinding

The Village Store Shop Front Relax in the park

Come in, we're open& we sell Yorkshire Tea

Window Shopping

Authentic & original "Avery" scales - circa 1960's

"A quarter of yorkshire mixture please"

RESTAURANT SCHEME

Premium Bedrooms(Residential)

Classic Bedrooms(Residential)

The bedrooms in the dementia suite follow the same colour ways as the residential bedrooms but have been revised to follow the design principles required for residents with dementia.