The site located at Sturt Street has been through multiple design iterations due to the existing complexities of this historic site. Stanton Dahl’s team have worked closely with Southern Cross Care, within a very constricted timeframe to come up with a solution which addresses these complexities together with local and council concerns, whilst delivering the client’s requirements.
The resultant Residential Aged Care facility provides accommodation for 90 residents over four levels. The design responds to the steep gradient by maximising it to allow multiple connections to the outdoors, which is so vital for the residents. The floorplate is set out in the most efficient manner to optimise operational requirements by minimising travel distances and reducing repetition of support spaces.
Council’s concerns in regard to the bulk and scale of the proposal were cleverly addressed by manipulating the materiality, scale and proportion of the building mass. A darker, recessive façade disguises the mass while lighter, irregular forms cantilever outwards. Some of these protruding boxes run across two levels, which helps obscure the number of levels and thereby reduce visual impact. The boxes feature their own irregular openings, which addresses the domestic scale and form of the residential context of the site. Together these strategies help to break down the otherwise repetitive and institutional look of a typical aged care facility, without varying too much from the efficiencies of a typical floor plate.
The proposal has been through comprehensive reviews from the council, urban design, heritage, and other consultants prior to submission of the DA.
Want to read more?
Yarra Rossa Retirement Village
© All content is the copyright of Stanton Dahl Architects Site by Permission
