BUPA Aged Care / Queens Park, NSW

A limited competition to renew an existing aged care facility on a hill overlooking Queens Park.  It was critical for the building to have a legible street address with both vehicular drop off and pedestrian access directly off Carrington Road. Consequently, the upper levels of the facility sit above the open lower level to form a processional entry in the form of a Porte Cochere. From here one enters the foyer with reception, offices and the more ‘public’ communal facilities; shop, hairdresser, consulting room, activities room. These form an internal street that leads to the main lift.

The façade of the building is set back to line up with the adjoining buildings, and presents as three levels to the street.  This third level has been designed to read as receding from the street, permitting the lower stories to relate in scale to the two storey neighbours.  The façade surfaces are highly articulated to present a rich and varied face to the public. Driven by the capture of Queens and Centennial Park views, and the need to protect those west-facing rooms from the harsh western sun, various architectural devices have been utilized:

The blade walls act as the major ordering device defining the rooms and forming vertical shading. Local slanted walls block the sun while maintaining views, and finally adjustable, automated screens and blinds provide for the specific day to day variations in the weather.