Ellis Hillman Partnership were instructed by the YMCA to design a Transitional Housing Development consisting of 46no. Apartments (31sq.m) on a site located adjacent to the existing YMCA North Staffordshire campus.The building is not intended to provide permanent, long-term homes, but rather to be a secure “stepping stone” to enable young people to start on a career and gain positive experience of holding a tenancy, so enabling them to progress to the private rented sector or home ownership, with typical tenancy durations of 1-2 years.

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The accommodation is designed around a secure courtyard/amenity space, with building mass along Hardings Road and Grace Crescent to tie in with the existing context.  The scale of the building has been considered in relationship with the surrounding mix of residential and YMCA accommodation, varying from two to four storeys.The palette of building materials has been chosen to reflect the materials of the surrounding buildings, including the existing terraces, the YMCA building on the opposite side of Grace Crescent and Edinburgh House.