This scheme is our response to an open ideas competition set by McCarthy and Stone to design innovative forms of independent living for active, older people. Set in a rural site in Hampshire, aimed at ‘baby boomer’ private buyers, the design promotes choices for residents between different types and sizes of homes and also between private and more communal ways of living. Carefully designed layouts allow residents to adapt their homes to suit their needs and as circumstances change. Landscaped courtyards provide communal space for socialising and gardening alongside private terraces, with glimpses of longer views to the woodland beyond.