Ozcare reaches for the sky
The dual development provides a continuum of care in a single location.
An Ozcare twin-tower development in Queensland is taking aged care and retirement living to new heights.
The 16-storey and 21-storey construction in the Brisbane inner-city suburb of Newstead, which opened late June, provides a continuum of care within a single location.
Spanning a 6,180 sqare metre block, the Ozcare complex features a café, retail and office spaces along with a public park – a key design component to foster community connection.
Dr Ye Ng – associate principal at Architectus Conrad Gargett, the firm that designed the buildings – said: “This integration creates opportunities for both active and passive engagement on the ground and above ground for residents with diverse physical abilities.”
She added: “Research has shown this engagement is very important for wellbeing across all ages.”
The smaller tower houses Villa Rosalie – a three-floor 120-bed aged care facility that includes an entire level dedicated to dementia support. Designed to give off homelike vibes, clinical care areas are carefully concealed.
“It’s very important to create a homelike environment even if you have memory impairment,” said Dr Ng. “Residents can have access to outdoors and enjoy the garden and are free to continue their daily lifestyles just like at home.”
Villa Rosalie also offers residents a hair salon and day spa, large function and activity rooms, a chapel, cinema, and multiple lounge areas.
Adjacent to Villa Rosalie, retirement living village Rendu Towers. The tower comprises a total of 135 residences and a range of communal facilities including a heated swimming pool, club lounge, private dining room, cinema, and a wellness centre.
“Our vision for a vertical village in the heart of Brisbane has been about the creation of something very unique, that encourages warmth of community connection,” Ozcare’s head of retirement living Anna Gorgijeski said.
“A key to creating the sense of belonging is the support personnel along with the design of ambient shared spaces where human connections can thrive.”
The Brisbane site adheres to Ozcare’s commitment to enabling people to remain within their communities of they choice as they get older. “People who live in the city want to stay in the city – this development caters to a growing demographic of seniors that want to stay connected to their communities and families,” Architectus Conrad Gargett principal John Flynn said.
“They want to enjoy all the benefits of an urban lifestyle while knowing they have the best support and care as they age.”
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