DWA’s masterplan gets the China thumbs-up

York-based DWA Architects, which partnered with Beijing-based design consultancy TLD, beat practices from Hong Kong and Denmark with its masterplan for a new facility providing elderly person care and specialist assisted living for 1,024 residents in Shunde, Guangzhou, in the Guangdong Province.

The brief called for the design to take into account aspects of the Chinese culture unique to the Guangdong Province, operational requirements, the rapidly growing Chinese elderly care and living needs and the aesthetical considerations of the local Lingnan style of architecture.

The winning design includes a range of modern facilities including elderly person residential care, a rehabilitation centre, intensive care and recovery care.

It also features independent living apartments for elderly people with specialist leisure and activity areas as well as over 300 assisted living apartments.

Mel Fairbourn-Varley, director of international projects at DWA, said: “We wanted to ensure that we could fulfil the responsibilities of such a large scale development.

“It has taken some time to build effective networks in China but we are now beginning to reap the benefits of our efforts to grow our business internationally and to expand into the Chinese elderly care and specialist housing sectors.”

The firm, which has 25 years experience in the UK healthcare sector, has worked on over 270 projects including new-build, extensions and refurbishments of assisted living facilities, care homes, mental health facilities, close care apartments and care villages.

Mr Fairbourn-Varley said the firm now plans to grow its international presence across the elderly care and specialist housing markets even further.