Project Completed by Baade Harbour Geelong (BHA)

The brief was to design a new aged care facility, including administration services and a commercial kitchen, which would be constructed in a staged sequence to ensure the existing facility could remain operational during construction. The scope of the redevelopment works also included a new community centre, together with various other support services.

Although modern in its approach, the architectural built form compliments the existing buildings on the site and provides a new entry point and identity for the integrated and improved facility. The external built form carefully considers building scale, style, materials, colours and textures to invoke a warm, inviting and inclusive environment for residents.

The facility was carefully designed in collaboration with the Client to encourage social interaction between residents and to facilitate family and community participation.

The design encourages residents to participate in familiar daily activities such as cooking and gardening to maintain a level of independence, while stimulating the mind and body. Key destination points were strategically located in the design to create interest and entice residents to physically move through the building and increase the opportunity for informal chance interactions with other residents.

Bedrooms, living and dining spaces are clustered to create more intimate communities that can cater for groups of various sizes, including quiet, private spaces for individuals. Specific materials, colours and textures have been adopted to create calm and familiar spaces that are dementia friendly and feel more like a home.

Residents enjoy a strong visual connection to the outdoors via a series of landscaped courtyards that promote activities such as garden walks and outdoor dining.