As preparations continue for the opening of the Rare Dementia Support Centre in London in Spring 2026, members of the Rare Dementia Support (RDS) team visited our furniture partners ACTIU and Cast Furniture UK.
The visit formed part of an ongoing collaboration focused on how well-designed environments can better meet the needs of people living with rare dementias, including posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), which affects visual and spatial processing.
Importantly, the trip to Castalla, Spain, included individuals with direct experience of PCA. Helena, who is living with the condition, attended alongside her husband David, an engineer, and Jason, an architect who cares for his mother, who is living with PCA. Their unique combination of lived and professional experience was invaluable in shaping meaningful and practical design decisions. (More on their contribution below.)
The trip provided the opportunity to move beyond selecting items from a catalogue and instead explore, in person, how elements such as colour contrast, materials, textures and acoustics can influence comfort, navigation and a sense of familiarity within the new space.
A sustainable approach
Although international travel has an environmental impact, the team took steps to offset the carbon emissions from the flights. Sustainability was a key part of the visit, with time spent learning how both ACTIU and Cast Furniture UK reduce the environmental footprint of their operations.
ACTIU’s production facility in Castalla is LEED® Platinum certified (the first company in the world to achieve this) and built around a sustainable technology park model. The site uses renewable energy, prioritises efficient production processes, and makes use of recycled materials, including chairs made from orange cartons. The company also uses organic coatings on its metal products, eliminating CO₂ emissions during manufacturing.
Cast Furniture UK has operated as a sustainable company from the outset. Through circular design, product take-back schemes and a commitment to refurbishment and reuse, the company helps reduce waste and extend the life of high-quality furniture. Cast also tracks, estimates and offsets the carbon emissions generated by the furniture it supplies and installs, with any remaining footprint offset through Gold Standard-certified partner Ecologi.
Visiting both suppliers in person gave the team the opportunity to make informed choices that meet the needs of those who will use the Rare Dementia Support Centre, while aligning with broader environmental goals.
Lived experience at the heart
Helena, David and Jason’s insights, both professionally and personally, were central to the visit. Their reflections on how physical environments affect day-to-day living with PCA brought nuance and clarity to key design decisions to ensure furniture within the centre is practical to those living with dementia. Rare Dementia Support Director Professor Sebastian Crutch and Head of Support Services Nikki Zimmermann also joined the trip.
Professor Crutch said: “This collaboration is part of a broader ambition to ensure the Rare Dementia Support Centre is designed with the people it is intended to support, not simply for them. The centre aims to be a welcoming and inclusive space for people affected by rare dementias and their families, offering both specialist support and a sense of community. We really hope our members enjoy the new space, and it feels like a home-from-home.
“We can’t thank the wonderful team at ACTIU and Cast Furniture UK enough for being so welcoming, helpful and generous. Their contributions are playing a vital role in bringing the Rare Dementia Support Centre to life.”
Furniture selected during the visit includes seating designed to offer clear visual contrast with its surroundings, soft and tactile upholstery to reduce disorientation, and flexible layouts that can adapt to different needs and activities.
Corporate partnerships
Further collaboration with designers, manufacturers and supporters will continue in the months ahead. Organisations interested in contributing furniture, products or expertise to the Rare Dementia Support Centre would be greatly welcomed and are encouraged to get in touch, as well as any RDS members who have ideas.
The new Rare Dementia Support Centre would not have been possible without the collaboration of key partners, including the charity The National Brain Appeal, who led on the fundraising appeal and funded the purchase of the furniture. Other partners include UCL OVPA, UCL Estates Development, Ark Build PLC, and architects at Hawkins\Brown. Significant funding was provided to the appeal by The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, The Wolfson Foundation, Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, Rosetrees, and many other generous donors and fundraisers who helped bring the project to life. For more information, to give your ideas, or to discuss partnership opportunities, please contact us at contact@raredementiasupport.org
