St. Clare is a $250 million premium retirement living precinct being developed by for-purpose organisation VMCH that covers a 1.4 hectare site in the heart of Kew, a well-established and leafy suburb in Melbourne’s inner east.

Designed for ‘over 55s’ that want to downsize to a residence retaining the characteristics and stylistic qualities of Kew, St. Clare will set new standards for retirement living when complete in 2026.

Blair Parkinson, associate principal at Woods Bagot and project architect, says working on such a generous site – one already home to three heritage buildings, an array of mature trees and so close to Melbourne city – is a once in a generation opportunity.

“Our vision from the start was to create a community village immersed in the beauty of nature,” says Parkinson.

“We took a considered, holistic approach – interweaving the beauty of the existing landscape, the prominence of the heritage buildings and proposing new contemporary residential buildings sympathetic to the surrounding Kew vernacular.”

The beautiful old brick homes of Kew, with their ornate arts and craft detailing, are clear inspirations for the design of the new buildings that house a total of 104 two- and three-bedroom homes.

An integrated landscape design is also key to the Woods Bagot concept – one which retains 50 percent of the land as open space rather than maximising on built form and apartment numbers – an approach supported by VMCH, which ran St Paul’s College for children with special needs on the site for 61 years.

“For the design team it was crucial to work with the site and not against it,” says Parkinson.

“The design of the buildings and their placement in and around the site was certainly influenced by planning requirements, daylight analysis, and apartment outlook studies, but trees were the main factor.

“The aim was for us to retain as many trees as we possibly could in and around the grounds to ensure a residents garden anchored by established flora.”

A Village Green is at the heart of the precinct design, around which a quartet of new residential buildings of up to five levels are loosely grouped.

“We’ve taken the large mansionette vernacular of Kew and pulled that through into the new build elements of the development,” Parkinson says.

“Introducing a mansard roof design ensured a contextual approach to the residential buildings that assisted with integrating the upper level of residences into each building without it feeling like the heavy mass that can typically come with multi-level developments.

“We also stepped-down the buildings, moderating the interfaces with neighbours to allow for more light to penetrate into the surrounding open spaces and create a variation in the roofline form – this play on the height happens subtly across the site.”

He says there’s a focus on wellness and community – creating spaces that allow for moments of quiet contemplation as well as social and community interaction.

The design of the residences was undertaken with ageing in place at the forefront of decision making, creating homes that can adapt to suit the needs of the owner without infringing on their aesthetic design qualities or spatial considerations.

“Our bathrooms for example have been designed to so that in future and if required, grab rails can be installed on the walls to the showers and toilets,” Parkinson says.

“The vanity drawers can also be removed without affecting the benchtop design to allow for wheelchair users.

“Bedrooms are oversized with enough space on the side of each bed for wheelchair access and we’ve got overly wide corridors and circulation areas throughout.”

The interior design aesthetics of the apartments was once again driven by the landscape.

“The Woods Bagot interior design team drew inspiration from the colouring of gum trees endemic to the site; their subtle palette reflected in the high end yet practical finishes and details developed specifically for the project,” says Parkinson.

“Soft greens and greys complement the timber cabinetry and flooring.”

Designing St. Clare – where the entry level price for a two-bedroom is $1.3 million – gave the designers scope to rethink retirement living architecture.

Among the residents’ facilities are shared and private dining rooms, a wood panelled library, pool, gym, greenhouse, potting shed, community gardens, a public and private café, billiards room, massage suites, arts and craft studio, village green, chapel, cinema and wellness studio.

But Parkinson’s favourite is the Speakeasy Bar located in the basement under the main dining area.

“This is the Led Zeppelin generation we’re designing for. The future residents of St. Clare were influenced by Pink Floyd, David Bowie and Elton John,” he says.

“They are the quintessentially cool generation, so the Speakeasy Bar is such a relevant addition to the site, something I haven’t seen in any other retirement living design and one that we hope to see more of.

“The design of this space is radically different from the other amenities in the precinct; the journey down to the speakeasy is a transition from day into the dusk, with the finishes conceptualised around the Australian bush at night.”

“You can go down there and feel like you’re immersing yourself in the 70s while sharing a drink with your friends and reflecting on a life well lived that still has plenty more to come. It’s also the pre-function bar for the cinema – I’m sure it’ll end up being the hotspot of the whole precinct.”

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Martin Kelly
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