Tolcross Road, Care Facility, Collective Architecture

Perched on a sloping site that rises to address the busy Tolcross Road, Collective Architecture have combined affordable rented housing with the facilities for care and rehabilitation. In terms of physical context, the project helps restore an appropriate sense of urban scale, with terraced housing asserting a rhythm and continuity to the street. Funded by Loretto Housing Association, the care facility provides valuable support and accommodation to sufferers from alcohol related brain bisease (ARBD), offering a transition between rehabilitation, and personal independence for its residents.

This was a fascinating project to photograph as the building reveals itself through a contrast of communal and private spaces. My background in architecture really helps with these projects, working from plans and a site recce initially, in understanding the complexity of a building.

Protected within the heart of the scheme are individual living studios wrapped around courtyards offering a tranquil environment for residents. The centre’s staff, office and communal areas flank the edge of the site and gradient, breaking away from the predominantly brick materiality, to use a lighter clad envelope interspersed with glazing and coloured panels.