Health, Aged Care & Community Living

Cooinda Aged Care (Stage 2), Gympie

This 24 bed special care unit (two houses of 12 beds each) has been designed for caring for people with dementia. The project is Stage 2 of a staged site redevelopment project for a rural aged care provider. The client had undertaken Paynter Dixon Study Tours of Germany and New Zealand as part of gathering design and business modelling intelligence prior to a Site Development Planning Workshop.

Design and development planning focussed in part on achieving a building where elderly people from the Gympie community would feel at home. The landscape design includes a mens shed, a potting/gardeners shed, a car in a garage, and a windmill and tank. Natural stone walls, picket fences, water features and a small bridge over a water course, mean that residents will naturally be drawn to this interesting and peaceful place that evokes reminiscence of their earlier lives.

The design purposefully faces the building and outdoor courtyard into a steep embankment on the eastern face which acts as a natural security fence, while the landscaping of the embankment provides a wonderful visual outlook from all areas of the building. This project truly achieves a wonderful integration between the internal and external spaces.

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