Boughton Heath Retirement Village

Location

Chester

Main contractor

Elliott Group

Architects

RCKa

Products

Facing Bricks

Overview

Boughton Heath Retirement Village is a new later-living community in Chester, designed to provide high-quality homes alongside a range of shared spaces and amenities.

Designed by RCKa for Retirement Villages Group and Thrive Living, the development comprises 155 apartments across six residential blocks, with communal facilities including a restaurant, café and wellness areas. The scheme also incorporates landscaped areas and connections designed to encourage residents to make the most of their surroundings.

The development was recognised at the Housing Design Awards, receiving the Towards Net Zero award, recognising its approach to sustainable residential design.

Taylor Maxwell supplied a selection of facing bricks from Michelmersh for the development, including Wrekin Dark Red, Wrekin Berkshire Red and Porcelain White, alongside FabSpeed air bricks. The varied masonry palette was used across the residential buildings to create a distinctive architectural character.

Delivered by Elliott Group, construction began in 2023, with the completed development opening in 2025.

Concept

RCKa's approach was centred around creating more than simply a collection of retirement apartments, instead developing a community that encourages social interaction, independence and connection.

The layout is organised around a central avenue and a series of communal spaces, with shared amenities positioned to provide opportunities for residents to meet and spend time together. Landscaping and pedestrian routes are also integrated throughout the scheme, helping to create a more welcoming environment and strengthen the connection between the buildings and their surroundings.

Material selection played an important role in establishing this sense of place. The use of different brick tones across the residential buildings creates subtle variation within the wider development, while maintaining a cohesive appearance.

The darker red tones provide warmth and depth, complemented by areas of lighter Porcelain White brick. This considered combination allows the individual buildings to have their own visual identity while still working together as part of the wider masterplan.

Completion

The completed development brings together the six residential blocks with a distinctive yet cohesive material palette. The combination of Wrekin Dark Red and Wrekin Berkshire Red creates rich variation across the façades, with the natural tones of the bricks adding warmth and character to the buildings.

Porcelain White introduces a lighter contrast, helping to break up the elevations and highlight selected areas of the architecture. Alongside the variation in brick colour, the masonry detailing and use of FabSpeed air bricks add further visual interest to the finished façades.

The result is a development that feels established and welcoming, with the brickwork helping to give the buildings a strong sense of identity while complementing the surrounding landscape.

Through its supply of the specified masonry products, Taylor Maxwell helped RCKa's material vision translate from the initial design through to the completed development, contributing to a high-quality finish across the scheme.

Learn more about our range of facing bricks here.