Beacon Court, Wolverhampton
MTE’s timber engineering excellence is also very much in evidence at Beacon Court – new, purpose-designed accommodation for blind and partially sighted people in the Wolverhampton and Dudley areas.
Beacon Court – another award winning scheme – was developed by social enterprise Bromford in partnership with Beacon Centre for the Blind, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Wolverhampton City Council and contractor William Davis, who appointed MTE.
Officially opened by Princess Anne, it comprises two linked buildings which provide bespoke support for people aged over 55 with a visual impairment.
And the £18 million state of the art development took first place in the Meeting Needs of Vulnerable People category of the 2010 UK Housing Awards.
Beacon Court – which replaces the eight buildings which previously stood on the seven acre site –has 71 extra care apartments, of which 50 are rented and 21 are in shared ownership.
The site’s many amenities include a restaurant, café-bar, hairdresser, greenhouse, shop, treatment room, craft room and gym, as well as bespoke 24 hour care.
With a BREEAM rating of Very Good, the centre has been designed and built with sustainability in mind, with residents and service users benefiting from energy efficient solutions which minimise CO2 emissions, thereby reducing running costs.
