Disability service provider Rocky Bay has released concept designs for a new health and community hub on its recently acquired Belmont site.
Hames Sharley’s Perth studio was selected as the preferred design team following a competitive tender process. Rocky Bay managing director Michael Tait said the proposal demonstrated a strong understanding of the organization’s requirements and aspirations for an integrated community space.
“[Hames Sharley’s] submission provided us a rich understanding of how we can best use our location within the Belmont precinct,” said Tait. “Their approach to developing our masterplan for the site gives me the confidence that we will be able to design a hub that achieves our vision of building a vibrant, inclusive space that is accessible and inviting.”
A Rocky Bay spokesperson said the office relocation to a more central site was motivated by the desire to ensure users would not need to travel more than 20 minutes to access support. The new purpose-built facility will be designed to address the evolving needs of the facility’s end users.
While a proposed design will be finalized in early 2023, initial concepts for the first stage feature a series of pods connected by a network of covered walkways connecting the communal, clinical and paediatric hubs across the two-hectare site.
The design also includes a large landscaped communal space with paediatric outdoor play spaces.
Hames Sharley principal Andrew Tang-Smith said the new site had the opportunity to strengthen the arterial connection between Belmond’s civic and community hearts by providing a “new community anchor”.
Tang-Smith said the team felt a strong alignment with the project, enabling people living with disability to enjoy the benefits of community and ease of access. Hames Sharley director Brook McGowan added the goals of the hub aligned with the practice’s fundamental principles.
“The purpose of the hub aligns with our own core mission – to enable communities to flourish – so we’re excited to deliver this new nexus of activity and community identity to Rocky Bay,” said McGowan.
Rocky Bay administration office and Mosman Park services will relocate to the Belmont site following the project’s completion in 2025.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
