New Almshouses for Dorchester

We are delighted to be working with Dorchester Almshouses on the provision of fourteen new almshouses and community room in the centre of Dorchester, on West Walks, adjacent to Borough Gardens. The flats, set over two floors around a central courtyard, will provide accessible and adaptable accommodation for the charity’s residents. Dorchester Almshouses is the union of three almshouse charities started in the C17^th in Dorchester.

Both buildings are two storey with pitched roofs but the dormer roofs of the southern building minimise its eaves height to reduce its impact on the neighbouring buildings. As well as scale, the materials and details were designed to make the new almshouses recessive and uncompetitive to the villas fronting West Walks. The massing of the buildings and the use of brick echo the coach houses to the rear of the villas. Inset balconies, projecting windows and hit and miss brickwork were used to prevent overlooking of the neighbours on a tight site.

To the perimeter of the central courtyard will be a first-floor walkway supported on steel columns and clad with timber. The use of timber is intended to lighten and soften the feel of the walkway and integrate it with the external space of the central courtyard. A red zinc roof will emulate the numerous red clay tiled roofs and red brick walls inherent to Dorchester. Each almshouse has glazed double doors to access the communal courtyard and gardens encouraging a sense of community to the development.