Solent student designs a wellness community championing independence and healthy ageing

A final-year Architectural Design and Technology student at Southampton Solent University has proposed a bold and human-centred vision for assisted living, combining a lifelong passion for creativity with a commitment to designing spaces that genuinely improve people's lives.

Isabella Fernandez's Final Major Project, Little Sparrows, puts forward a thoughtfully designed development in Sonning Common, Oxfordshire, that brings together accessible housing and a comprehensive range of health and wellbeing facilities, all centred around a shared vision of community.

The conceptual development includes a wellness centre, swimming pool, gym, treatment rooms and shared community spaces, all designed to promote independence, healthy ageing and social connection for older residents.

For Isabella, architecture has always been about more than buildings. "I've always loved sketching and drawing, so architecture felt like the perfect way to turn creativity into something meaningful," she says. "Through this project, I wanted to create a place that promotes wellbeing, independence and community."

Working across industry-standard tools including Revit, AutoCAD and sustainable design frameworks, they have developed the skills to translate imaginative ideas into credible, buildable proposals, the kind of practice-led approach that defines study at Solent.

Little Sparrows responds to one of the UK's most pressing design challenges: how to create environments where older people can live well, maintain their independence and remain connected to a wider community.

The project's integration of wellness facilities alongside residential spaces reflects a growing understanding within architecture and public health that physical environment plays a central role in healthy ageing.

"Isabella is a highly creative thinker whose innovative ideas consistently balance practical, well‑resolved buildings with striking, memorable aesthetics, demonstrating both technical clarity and artistic ambition," says Matt Swan, Lecturer Architectural Technology.

Studying Architectural Design and Technology at Solent has equipped Isabella with both the creative confidence and the technical rigour to take on complex, real-world briefs.

The course combines hands-on design experience with industry-relevant skills, ensuring graduates are ready to contribute meaningfully to the built environment from day one of their careers.

Find out more about Solent’s architecture courses here.