Lifestyle Manor / Bondi, NSW

Lifestyle Manor Bondi provided the opportunity to create a vital seniors living environment within an urban urban context.  The design strategy transformed what could have been a ‘block of flats’ for elderly people, into a vital and engaging seniors community. The core of the development for the 42 luxury one, two and three bedroom units is a glass-roofed atrium passing through the five residential levels of the building which gave true life to the concept of the ‘vertical village’.

By internally revealing resident movements over five levels, the sense of physical, social and visual communications reinforces communality (the sense of belonging) and created a positive and activating atmosphere. The development’s luxury facilities incorporate roof-top dining with terrace for entertaining, hair salon & treatment room, a lower level cinema, gym, function centre and arts and crafts workshops, medical consulting suites, heated swimming pool and on the main lobby level a library and intimate lounge space.

The development’s ESD strategy maximises the number of corner apartments with increased access to natural daylight and cross-ventilation, incorporated rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling, solar hot waters and thermal stack ventilation. The style of the building was developed to respond to the aesthetic aspirations and memories of the senior residents by utilising a dignified contemporary interpretation of the ‘grand’ apartments buildings of the 1920’s.

The building was a finalist for the NSW “Urban Development Awards” – Retirement Living section of the Urban Development Institute of Australia