A new standard for integrated bluelight facilities.
Knowl Park House is a new 40 place dementia day care centre in Mirfield designed to provide a calm, supportive and empowering environment for people living with dementia and physical disabilities. Delivered for Kirklees Council, the project brings together day care provision, a training centre, and a new Council Hub — offering care, community support and professional development within a single, purpose built facility.
The centre is designed to offer short periods of support away from the home environment, giving service users the opportunity to learn new skills, build confidence, connect with others and participate in a wide range of social activities. It includes a wellbeing area, activity zones, a cinema space and a domestic scale therapy area, all arranged around a sensory garden and internal courtyards. These spaces help users navigate the building intuitively, wandering with purpose, encouraging independence while providing a sense of safety, comfort and familiarity.
Knowl Park House sits alongside the new Kirklees Living Well Centre , which provides training, guidance and services for families, carers, professionals and the wider community demonstrating assistive technologies that could be incorporated into their own homes. Together, the two facilities support people to stay in their own homes for longer, reducing pressure on long term residential and nursing care and enabling more personalised and dignified care journeys for local residents.
The design incorporates a range of assistive technologies that enhance accessibility and wellbeing. Specialist lighting and sound systems support sensory comfort and recognition; ceiling tracking is integrated into key areas to help with mobility and personal care; and the layout prioritises orientation, natural light and clear visual connections. Every decision is shaped by the needs of people living with dementia — creating an environment that feels intuitive, reassuring and human.
Knowl Park House has also been recognised for its excellence in dementia friendly design. The building was officially opened by the Mayor of Kirklees, Cllr Nosheen Dad, and received the Dementia Gold Design Award presented by the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre — an international accreditation that celebrates environments proven to support independence, orientation and wellbeing. The project was also named a finalist in the Dementia Care Awards 2025 in the category Innovative Spaces within Residential Care: Design, recognising spaces that not only look different, but feel different — shaped with, and for, people living with dementia.
In addition, the project was awarded the Constructing Excellence “Delivering Value” Award for the Yorkshire and Humber region in 2024, recognising its outstanding social value outcomes and long term community impact. The judging panel highlighted the project’s exceptional collaboration and its achievement of delivering 259% of its social value targets — a contribution that left a lasting legacy within the Kirklees community.
The success of the project reflects a deeply collaborative process involving the client, consultants, stakeholders, families and the local community. Knowl Park House is more than a care facility; it is a place of comfort, dignity and connection — a demonstration of how thoughtful, purpose driven design can transform lives and create environments that genuinely care for the people who use them.
