Meadow View, Plymouth’s new specialist building for adults with learning disabilities and complex needs, is rapidly taking shape – with its bespoke, sustainably sourced timber frame now complete.
Plymouth City Council selected a timber-frame structure to minimise the project’s carbon footprint and deliver a warm, efficient and futureproof building.
Timber is widely recognised as one of the lowest carbon construction materials available, due to its renewable nature, low embodied carbon and ability to store carbon over its lifetime. As trees grow, they naturally absorb CO₂, locking it into the timber; that carbon stays stored within the building for as long as it stands.
The total stored carbon of the softwood used is 232 tCO₂ which is equivalent to taking more than 50 petrol cars off the road for an entire year. All the wood used is from sustainable Swedish forests.
When completed in summer 2026, Meadow View will provide vital day time opportunities and respite support for adults with complex needs, offering seven bedrooms, seven self-contained apartments, including crisis-support spaces, and a wide range of creative, therapeutic and life-skills environments. The new single-storey development will include a sensory room, craft studios such as a pottery room with kiln, communal dining and kitchen spaces to build independent living skills, and a landscaped outdoor environment featuring wildflower planting and 55 new trees.
The building will also incorporate solar power systems, air source heat pumps and high performance triple glazing to reduce running costs and operational carbon.
Councillor Mary Aspinall, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “Meadow View embodies the kind of forward thinking, environmentally responsible development Plymouth is proud to champion. Choosing a timber frame structure means significantly lower carbon emissions, strong sustainability credentials and a building that works in harmony with both people and planet. This approach supports our city’s commitment to greener construction and ensures that adults with complex needs will benefit from a warm, safe and energy efficient space for decades to come.”
Nigel Whelan, Managing Director at Devon Contractors, said: “Meadow View is a scheme we’re incredibly proud to be delivering. It will provide long-term benefits for Plymouth’s residents with complex needs, and we value the close partnership with Plymouth City Council in creating a sustainable, high-quality facility that will serve the city for generations to come.”
More information about Meadow View: www.plymouth.gov.uk/meadow-view.
