Belle Vue, London Borough of Camden for Pegasus Homes with Morris+Company, Architecture PLB, Tibbalds, RISE, ISG, Elliott Wood and Max Fordham

Belle Vue, London Borough of Camden for Pegasus Homes with Morris+Company, Architecture PLB, Tibbalds, RISE, ISG, Elliott Wood and Max Fordham

Belle Vue is a new holistic retirement community in Hampstead. Its quartet of interconnected buildings create a sequence of landscaped courtyards, gardens and terraces, with communal and neighbourhood facilities, including spa, resident’s lounge and a public café open to all. The project champions the brief’s ambition - demonstrating how a well-considered housing typology can help to tackle the growing isolationism of the elderly age group present in our society.

Who is on the project? 

Architect: Morris+Company
Planning Consultant: Tibbalds Planning
Construction Manager: RISE
Contractor (interior D&B): ISG
Structural Engineer: Elliott Wood
Environmental Engineer: Max Fordham
Cost Consultant: Deloitte
Landscape Consultant: Camlins
Interiors: Woods Bagot
Interiors Executive Architect: Architecture PLB
Building control authority: Assent Building Control"

Describe the context of this project and its neighbourhood and how the project was informed by health evidence and housing need.

Belle Vue is a holistic later-living community in Hampstead, designed by Morris+Company. Developed with Pegasus Life, the 10-storey development comprises a quartet of interlinked buildings, set within a sequence of biodiverse landscaped courtyards, gardens, and roof terraces. The 59 apartments are complemented by extensive amenities including a health spa, gym, swimming pool, residents’ lounge, gardens and a community café – open to residents and the public. 
 
Belle Vue is designed to physically and emotionally support those who live there by providing secure and fully accessible spaces to socialise outside of homes, alongside public amenities to create connections with the wider community. 
 
Universal accessibility was not a ‘bolt-on’ but deeply embedded into the design from the outset. Apartments are flexible and adaptable - able to evolve with residents needs as they age. Communal spaces and amenities are designed for full access, regardless of mobility, encouraging residents to engage socially and participate in community life.
 
Simple, clear graphic wayfinding aids movement throughout the community, combined with generous circulation; widened lobby and door widths; fully accessible, tailored therapy and fitness spaces; integrated landscape with flush thresholds; and generous balconies connecting each apartment to the central courtyards. The extensive use of soft finishes and furnishings throughout acoustically attenuates the spaces to different aural comfort levels. 
 
By combining adaptable living, tailored communal facilities, and universal accessibility, Belle Vue demonstrates how housing for older people can be designed not only for safety and mobility, but also to foster belonging, participation, and dignity.

How does this housing or mixed-use project address the 3 sections of the 12 Healthy Homes Principles with (1) consideration of fire and safety, (2) comfort and inclusion, and (3) how sustainable the design is. 

Fire Safety - Belle Vue ensures resident safety through a fire-resilient design that met all regulations applicable at the time of delivery. A centrally located, lobbied core keeps escape travel distances short and compliant, supporting safe evacuation and clear wayfinding throughout the building.
 
Safety from Crime - The four-building arrangement around courtyards, gardens, and terraces provides strong natural surveillance. The staggered plan clearly separates residential areas from communal and public facilities, allowing controlled public access while maintaining resident security. Deep inset balconies soften the massing and enhance privacy, while boundary treatments are designed to discourage anti-social behaviour.
 
 
Affordable and Secure Tenure Homes - Belle Vue contributes to Camden’s housing provision with a mix of secure, later-living homes. A wide range of apartment types-from one to three bedrooms-supports residents whose needs may change over time, minimising the need to relocate as care requirements evolve. Homes are offered across several tenures, including both for-sale and rental options, improving housing choice and long-term stability for older residents.
 
Liveable Space - Apartments are planned to support residents through all stages of ageing. Generous layouts offer integrated storage, high-quality kitchens and bathrooms, and private balconies or loggias. Flexibility and accessibility were built into the design from the outset; all homes can be reconfigured to accommodate shifting care or mobility needs, enabling residents to maintain independence and age comfortably.
 
Access to Natural Light - The form and layout of the buildings maximise daylight, views, and natural ventilation. Most apartments are dual or triple aspect, enhancing natural light levels and promoting cross-ventilation. Kitchens and bathrooms are placed centrally, while primary living spaces occupy the façades. Generous floor-to-ceiling heights allow deeper daylight penetration, improving comfort and reducing reliance on artificial lighting.
 
Access to Amenities, Nature, and Transport - Residents benefit from an extensive range of accessible wellness and social facilities, including therapy rooms, a swimming pool, spa, communal lounge, and wide circulation spaces that encourage informal interaction. Landscaped gardens wrap the buildings and are accessed via flush thresholds from private and communal areas. Balconies offer direct visual and social connection to the courtyards and green spaces. The development is highly connected, with nearby Underground and Overground stations, multiple bus routes, and a community mini-bus. Hampstead Heath provides additional blue and green amenity within walking distance.
 
Thermal Comfort and Sustainability - Belle Vue achieved BREEAM ‘Excellent’ by prioritising passive design strategies aligned with the London Plan energy hierarchy. Enhanced insulation, optimised daylighting, natural ventilation, and efficient orientation contribute to thermal comfort and reduced energy demand. The blocks are positioned to maximise southern exposure while mitigating east-west overheating. Air Source Heat Pumps meet all heating and cooling needs, while hot water is provided through a CHP system supported by low-NOx boilers, with capacity to connect to the Gospel Oak district heat network. Photovoltaic panels generate on-site renewable energy. Each apartment includes MVHR alongside openable windows for mixed-mode ventilation. Additional sustainable features-biodiverse roofs, rainwater harvesting, and ethical, low-impact material specification, creating a resilient, low-carbon, and comfortable living environment that supports long-term resident wellbeing.

Tell us what you did to help promote, monitor or manage health and how this informed the design, delivery and the ongoing governance of the project. Was the community engaged in the process?

Residents’ social, emotional, and physical wellbeing was central to the project’s design approach. Homes were flexibly planned to adapt to changing health and care needs as residents age, while inclusive health, fitness and wellbeing facilities promote movement, rehabilitation, and relaxation. Connections to nature shaped the verdant landscaped gardens, terraces, and private balconies, giving all apartments views to nature and/or the city beyond. Generous communal areas - including the residents’ lounge, library and central courtyard - were designed to encourage interaction, companionship, and community cohesion, helping to reduce loneliness and social isolation.
 
Public amenities were conceived as ‘points of connection’ between residents and the wider community. To achieve this, the building was designed to sit comfortably within Hampstead’s rich heritage context. Extensive consultation and analysis of building forms, materials, and styles across seven neighbouring conservation areas informed a refined architectural language of brick and architectural precast. The massing is carefully staggered in its context, to create a distinctive yet human-scaled presence.
 
Belle Vue reached practical completion shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic, offering an immediate test of the development’s adaptability. The design’s flexibility, combined with the strong social fabric of the resident community, enabled facilities to be repurposed quickly: the gym and studio became table tennis spaces, while community rooms hosted debating clubs, play readings, and other socially engaging activities. These adaptations ensured residents could maintain connection and wellbeing despite unprecedented restrictions, demonstrating the building’s capacity to support a resilient, active, and socially enriched later-life community.