The James Milson Retirement Village have been operating since 1974, and in that time have evolved and adapted to the changing needs of their clientele. The North Sydney aged care provider take pride in delivering excellence in their commitment to personalised care. Residents are encouraged to engage in activities and pursue interests. Due to the location and design of the James Milson Retirement Village, they are also able to easily interact with the community around them.

Contract Type: Design, Documentation, Project Management
Location: 4 Clark Rd., North Sydney, NSW 2060

A challenging site

The proprietors of the James Milson Village worked with Space For Health right from the beginning. The first challenge was in how we would approach the project. For a facility that required substantial space to meet compliance, we knew that there were a number of possible ways we could move forward. The brief called for a new two level building with 10 new rooms for high care patients. The existing structure had been built over 50 years ago and there was quite a lot of work to be done to bring into the modern age.

Some parts of the building were damaged, and much of it required extensive work in order to meet compliance standards. The question became: Do we tear down and rebuild or do we refurbish what’s there?

A complex juggling act

After producing some designs to show how the new configuration would be laid out, it was decided that we would rework what was already there, repair the damaged sections of the building and remodel the non-compliant parts. The narrow corridors made it difficult to have clear access everywhere it was needed, and low ceilings made it difficult to fit an effective HVAC system.

By demolishing the smaller, non-functioning rooms and replacing them with larger ones, we were able to overcome the obstacles and create inviting, comfortable rooms, while meeting compliance for the formerly difficult corridors and ceilings. In order to improve access, we created a bridge connecting the upper levels of two of the buildings. This also presented a challenge, as the levels were at different heights, however we got around this by designing the bridge on a slight incline to connect the separate levels.

The most difficult part of the process was making sure all requirements for safety were met. This building had complied with fire safety standards 20 years before, but not since. We knew that the council would require a substantial overhaul in order to bring the building up to scratch with current standards. Space For Health was able to develop smart fire safety solutions that kept us on track and within budget.

A world-class result

The completed project was received very well. We were able to create patient focused spaces that provided everything the residents needed in individual rooms. The finished product was very much in line with the goals of James Milson Retirement Village – to provide a comfortable and supportive environment that would allow residents to make the most of life.