Cwm Aur, a £6.5 million integrated care scheme for older people being developed in Llanybydder, will feature on S4C’s Sioe’r Tŷ on Friday night (3rd September).
Presented by Sarra Elgan, Sioe’r Tŷ is a Welsh language property programme that highlights innovative developments taking place around Wales.
Cwm Aur is an innovative project being developed by Grŵp Gwalia in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council, and will offer people aged 60 and over the opportunity to experience a real alternative to traditional sheltered housing or residential care.
Individual homes will sit within a ‘village’ layout, with a range of care facilities available on site, including 24 hour care and support, residential and respite care. Cwm Aur will also provide innovative services to people living with dementia, dramatically improving the quality of life for dementia sufferers and allowing them to continue living with their loved ones: an option not available within current residential or nursing home models in south west Wales.
Elfed Roberts, Head of Design & Special Projects at Gwalia, will appear in this Friday’s episode of Sioe’r Tŷ, and explained that it is not just the care model that makes Cwm Aur so ground breaking “We have designed Cwm Aur to exploit the site’s natural characteristics in order to maximise the rural views for residents. Part of the inspiration comes from the idea of creating a village within a building; the plan consists of four wings of apartments and one wing of communal spaces such as dining and reception areas and a library. Together they act as quiet or busy streets just as a village and this will foster a real sense of community.”
“The design of Cwm Aur has also been strongly influenced by the centuries old Welsh tradition of quilt-making which is based on strong grid patterns; at Cwm Aur the external landscape weaves in and out of the wings of accommodation giving ample daylight and natural ventilation and planted areas are in a patchwork effect, providing residents with pleasant views and aromas.”
Numerous environmentally friendly features have also been incorporated into the design of Cwm Aur with the aim of reducing energy bills for tenants and achieving a rating of ‘Excellent’ in EcoHomes, the environmentally sustainable housing standard. To conserve water, Cwm Aur has a green roof of sedum and wild flowers which absorbs rain water that is then collected, treated and reused to flush toilets and water the gardens. Low flow showers, aerating taps and smaller toilet cisterns have also been installed to limit water consumption. The primary heat and hot water source for the under-floor heating at Cwm Aur will be a biomass boiler fired by wood pellets to provide a renewable and sustainable form of energy. This will be supplemented by solar panels which will capture the sun's energy to convert into electricity.
Meinir Richards, Producer of Sioe’r Tŷ, said “The innovative care model, design and green credentials of Cwm Aur made it an excellent addition to our programme. The passion that Elfed and the team have for the project was incredibly impressive.”
Sioe’r Tŷ airs on S4C on Friday September 3rd at 9.10pm.
Press release, Gwalia
Grŵp Gwalia Cyf is a leading provider of social housing in south and mid Wales, managing over 5,500 high quality, affordable homes and meeting the needs of a broad and diverse range of people in the community.
