Community at the heart of award-winning retirement village

Community at the heart of award-winning retirement villageMichael Harrison’s search for retirement space for his mother drove him to develop The Village Coorparoo in Brisbane, a place where people feel secure, connected and valued.The Village Retirement Group was presented with the GHD Woodhead Award for Best Retirement Living Development at the recent 2017 Property Council of Australia / Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards. “As a family-owned business, this win is a very personal acknowledgement for us,” Harrison, the Group’s chairman, says.The Catholic Church’s Xavier Hospital occupied the site for more than 60 years, but after relocating the buildings were abandoned.Harrison, together with son Justin and a dedicated development team, restored the heritage-listed hospital residence, removing unsympathetic alterations and delivering high-quality community facilities. “The topography of the block itself was difficult,” Harrison explains.”There are multiple street frontages, and it was important that the scale and size of the buildings be appropriate for the area.”All care needed to be taken to respect the heritage of the site which houses ‘Erica’, a grand Queenslander built in 1890, which needed to be incorporated into the design and appropriately preserved.”Today, the master planned retirement village features 217 two- and three-bedroom independent living units in five multi-level buildings just five kilometres from the Brisbane CBD.The village’s central hub contains an array of communal facilities: a bistro, café, resident and guest lounges, billiards’ room, club lounge, arts and crafts room, library, subterranean pool, cinema, outdoor kitchen and recreational terrace, bowling green, as well as staff administration and facilities.The vertical village model has helped local residents remain close to their friends and families – with 90 per cent living within two kilometres of their former residences. The development has also regenerated the local area. As over 65s have moved into the village, younger families have secured properties located close to the city, and local businesses and schools are seeing the benefits.But Harrison says his biggest achievement is creating a “real community” within the Village.”We know that for people to flourish they need to feel connected, have a sense of purpose, have positive relationships, and have the opportunity to grow and learn. “The spaces we’ve created in our village – from social meeting places, to health and exercise hubs, to quiet spaces to indulge hobbies and interests – enable people to thrive in our community.”Bricks and mortar are such a small part of how we see our role – we see our core purpose as to create lifestyles and environments for people to truly enjoy the third phase of their life.”