Queensland’s St Luke’s Green takes out inaugural award for retirement living design
St Luke’s Green in Brisbane has won the inaugural nettletontribe Award for Design Excellence at the Property Council of Australia National Retirement Living Awards, in recognition of its incorporation of innovation around a historic church.
Consisting of 61 retirement apartments and a 65-bed residential aged care home, St Luke’s Green incorporates the St Luke’s Catholic Church in Woolloongabba.
The use of the land has reinvigorated the parish and helped transform a largely forgotten site into a thriving new community, delivering new economic benefits to the church and immediate surrounds.
Ben Myers, Executive Director – Retirement Living at the Property Council of Australia, says the benefits of great design go well beyond the physical building.
“In our sector, great design helps foster a sense of community and warmth, and enables retirement community residents to fully enjoy their village living experience,” Mr Myers said.
“The St Luke’s Green have been able to combine tradition with fantastic new facilities to create a terrific new community accessible to all, just a couple of kilometres from the centre of Brisbane.”
St Luke’s Green, operated by Greengate, enables its retirement living residents to receive integrated care services within their home, to extend their independence for as long as possible.
The design of the site stood out for its integration of materials and colours from the local community, its ability to mix public and private space effectively and the deliberate merging of indoor and outdoor spaces filled with natural light.
The retirement apartments have been designed to accommodate grab rails, wheelchairs and lifters and other equipment to be installed as required as a resident’s needs change. High speed village Wi-Fi ensures all systems, including intercom, nurse call and CCTV, can be controlled from a single smart phone handset, helping to maximise staff time with residents.
Special recognition was saved for the St Luke’s Green’s energy efficiency, with the BERS (Building Energy Rating System) star rating for the retirement apartments averaging 6.7 stars, well above the Queensland minimum standard of 4.6.
St Luke’s Green opened to independent living residents in April this year and is Greengate’s first Brisbane community, joining St Patrick’s Green and St Brigid’s Green in Sydney.
The Award for Design Excellence is proudly presented by nettletontribe, and is part of the National Retirement Living Awards. For more information, visit www.retirementlivingawards.com.au.