Inheriting the design, Carter Studio were invited to document and deliver a new entry portico and reception area alongside a detailed internal refresh of VMCH’s St Catherine’s aged care residence in Balwyn.

The key gesture - the new entry - comprised a floating roof atop a glass entry ‘box’. The use of subtle lighting and timber finishes softens the drama of this gesture and ensures the entry experience is unimposing. Careful integration of landscape - including the design of the experience all the way to the street - ensures a variety of opportunities for rest, clear lines of sight, and generous vegetation and low level lighting. Bespoke architectural detailing and coordination with structural steel design and trades was required to ensure the extremely large roof and associated cantilevers remained elegantly presented.

Internally, a significant volume of the existing building required refurbishment. Adopting to various latent conditions and the need to continuously adapt to complex on-site conditions, Carter Studio designed a series of break out spaces to be inserted at key locations so as to provide relief, refuge and anecdotal and informal meeting rooms. In addition, common areas were almost entirely uplifted with new finishes, lighting, consolidation of building services, and the like. Finally, adaptations were required to the Memory Support Unit that was nearing completion adjacent, which were also undertook by the design team.

The project knits together the more austere language of the existing brick veneer facility with an entirely contemporary reception through detailed and accurate architectural coordination, to provide an exciting entry experience that is both familiar and new.