It sat within the non-place of a typically characterless, corporate hinterland of roundabouts and business parks. 

By using the cloistered courtyard form, punctuated with corner towers, the design created a memorable sense of place out of quite everyday components. The institutional quality was mitigated by the care lavished on the articulate detailing.

A five-storey building on the north side contained bedrooms above common rooms and café, protecting the court from road noise. 

Two-storey buildings on the remaining three sides were designed like houses with six rooms each, and screen out other local noises. Here the upstairs rooms differed from each other according to orientation, and differed again from downstairs rooms. Corner houses had different rooms to straight houses and end rooms were different again. 

In the five-storey building there were regular rooms, end rooms, disabled people’s rooms, rooms and end rooms under the roof. Approximately 100 people, staying for anything between one night and permanently, lived in about twenty different kinds of rooms. 

Considering the different particular locations for each kind of room gave a real sense of place and belonging for each person. 

We especially enjoy elements of composition that are multi-functional as well as expressive, for example, the chutes which conducted the water from the downpipes into the soakaway also made column bases for the bay window structure.

Beechwood Lodge was designed in parallel with Lambeth Community Care Centre and had a similar split-roof section, bringing the sky into the top floor spaces. Half-landings were articulated with seats inside, supporting rainwater down-pipes.