Greenway Views, designed by Gray Puksand for LDK Healthcare and Cromwell Property, was created by repurposing existing buildings that had historically been used for government offices in Canberra.
The adaptive reuse of the existing buildings served as a way to save the neglected commercial buildings and re-purpose them to satisfy the requirement for High Quality Senior Residential Accommodation.
Adaptively reusing the buildings for this project significantly reduced energy consumption associated with demolishing the structures and building new ones in replacement.
Australian aged care facilities have often looked and felt like a hybrid of hotels and hospitals.
While both typologies undoubtedly have their use cases and can present comfortable living environments (albeit, in small doses), neither is suitable for long-term residency.
Worse still is the gaping flaw in the sector’s prevalent service model.
The disconnect between ‘retirement living’ and ‘aged care’ sees vulnerable seniors displaced from one (more hotel-esque) home to another (more hospital-like) when age starts to demand greater physical care.
Greenway Views, designed by Gray Puksand, instead presents a new standard of senior living – one where atmospheric health, aging in place, and genuine quality of life prevail.
Located in Canberra, the joint venture between LDK Healthcare and Cromwell Property and delivered by FDC Construction and Fitout breathes new life into five buildings, each with two wings, previously occupied by the Federal Government Department of Social Services.
As much an exercise in human-centred design as it is a case for adaptive reuse, Gray Puksand’s design champions a resounding connection between place, community, and care while empowering residents with a deserved sense of freedom and dignity unparalleled in the aged care and retirement living sectors.
At full capacity, Greenway Views will accommodate up to 500 occupants across 380 apartments that range in size from 50 m2 studio apartments up to 120 m2 three-bedroom apartments.
The central philosophy aims to provide a better quality of life for seniors in an environment that provides a sense of well-being and homeliness with an approach that responds to the core values of love, decency, and kindness.
Maria Correia, Senior Associate, Gray Puksand said:
“The project is designed for residents that require no care, partial care, and full care and where the overarching idea is to build a home that you would want to live in or have your parents live in. Our design aims to balance the residents’ needs and aspirations with their functional needs.”
Correia and her team avoided conventionally fashionable finishes and furnishings.
Instead, the interior design team took its cues from their grandparents’ houses, tapping into the essence of their homes and their eclectic nature.
Greenway Views ends the disconnect between retirement living and aged care, delivering the best of both worlds – community and care – in one, encompassed by the principles of ageing in place.
Apart from the strategic move of reusing these existing buildings, a raft of other environmental sustainability measures was deployed including:
- upgrading the envelope insulation to all spaces to satisfy the latest NCC requirements
- installation of roof-mounted solar panels to service the entire facility
- motion sensor LED lighting
Furthermore, the property has maintained the existing watercourse that runs through the site and adapted the landscape to adhere to the latest Bush Fire Safety Standards.
The project has been an outstanding success and enjoyed significant demand.
Project Details
Project Size – 20,981 m2
Completion Date – 2020
Building Levels – 3
Project Team
Interior Design and Photography
Gray Puksand
Gray Puksand is a leading Australian architecture and integrated design practice with studios in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
They create places of integrity designed to improve the way people work, learn, and live.
Construction
FDC Construction and Fitout
Canberra-based, independently owned and operated, FDC delivers best-in-class construction, fit-out, refurbishment, and building services.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge it.
Design © 2022 Gray Puksand. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2022 Gray Puksand. All Rights Reserved.
The Builtworks Quest
At Builtworks, we’re on a multi-year quest to document, showcase, and spotlight the best of Australia’s built environment.
That’s why we’re creating this comprehensive online archive and educational resource that showcases a diverse and eclectic range of project types and scales.
Together with showcasing older exemplars of enduring merit, we spotlight and celebrate new and recent additions to Australia’s built environment.