Three miles from Newcastle city centre, in the leafy suburb of Gosforth, Kenton Lodge is an upmarket retirement home comprising 53 comfortable, spacious, Retirement Living Plus apartments. They are aimed at people aged over 70 who wish to maintain their independence but who may require a little extra help.
Unique design
The home features an impressive architectural design, created by the refurbishment of a 107-year-old lodge. It boasts a grand staircase, decorative ceilings and ornate fireplaces, all of which have been carefully restored to transform it into a unique dwelling.
Kenton Lodge is the only development of its kind in the area, with lift access throughout, a social lounge to catch up with friends and a guest suite for visitors. The exterior comprises beautifully maintained gardens, with an abundance of greenery, alongside car parking areas.
Each individual apartment has a fully fitted kitchen; a large, airy living room that’s ideal for relaxing; a bedroom with a fitted wardrobe; and a level-access tiled shower room, complete with safety features such as slip-resistant flooring and easy-grip rails.
New access doors
Automatic Access was commissioned to provide new, automatic doors at the retirement home, to offer easy access for the older residents. The required design comprised a frameless glass door with a glass arch.
This proved a challenging design, as the glass-fixed arch above was unable to take the weight and design of a common-face, fixed automatic door operator. We provided a design to make the entrance more welcoming, light and airy, with an all-glass framing arch and a swing automatic door.
In order to successfully complete the installation, we proposed the use of a quiet underfloor pneumatic operator. Using a template from the old wooden arch, we prepared a fixed glazed arch out of laminated safety glass.
We then fabricated a slimline bottom rail to carry the glass door and shoe for the operation of the automatics. Stainless steel patch fittings were used for the hinges, together with specialist curved stainless steel handles. With access control to enter and a push pad to exit, we also installed an underfloor pneumatic swing door operator.
Client satisfaction
After demonstrating the design to the customer, the project architects were delighted with the results, which were in keeping with the stylish, high-quality, contemporary refurbishment of the 107-year-old property.