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Commendation – WA Architecture Awards

The Australian Institute of Architects 2025 WA Architecture Awards were announced last Friday, and we were thrilled to receive a Commendation for the Brightwater Huntington’s Disease Campus in Piara Waters – for The Brian Kidd Enabling Architecture Prize. A big thanks to all our project partners, including Adam Roebuck and Dale Alcock Projects.

Congratulations to Architectus and the Ruah Centre for Women and Children project for winning The Brian Kidd Enabling Architecture Prize. You can see all the winners here.

Older Adult Care Hubs

A combination of changes is coming to the aged care sector this year that will have positive outcomes if the federal and state authorities are aligned. The Commonwealth’s new Support at Home Program and smaller home model for aged care looks like a comfortable fit for the State’s proposed Integrated Older Adult Care Hubs announced at the state election. Building and locating these hubs will be the key. Metro station precincts are obvious locations along with regional centres. Designed correctly, the hubs can fill the ‘care gap’ between aging in place and full-service facilities.

WA Architecture Awards Exhibition

Ahead of the Australian Institute of Architects WA Chapter awards, set to take place in June, for a limited time you can explore all the entries at a special exhibition in the Central Park Perth lobby from Monday 5 May to Friday 16 May 2025.

This FREE exhibition will include our entry for the Brightwater Care Group Ltd. Huntington’s Disease Campus project.

Read more here.

$31.2M in Govt funding to trial virtual nurses in aged care

As reported in The Weekly Source, it’s great to see regional communities continue to pioneer innovation in the delivery of aged care services with virtual nursing. We are also seeing examples of innovation with transitional housing for aged care workers in regional areas. Some aged care homes are future proofing their infrastructure by expanding residential capacity to house workers from out of town in the short-term. Eventually these dwellings could transition to retirement living when permanent housing for the workers becomes available in town centres.

Thinking Outside the Box

The editorial from Architecture & Design linked below, about the future of aged care design, is perfectly timed with the new Aged Care Act starting in July. Thinking outside of the box looks like the best approach to achieve more ‘person-centred care’ required by the new laws. We saw this in designing Treeby Parklands adjacent to the popular Calleya dog park. It inspired the Treeby team to adopt a canine theme to connect with community, with distinctive interior design touches and visits to the café inside the aged care home. 

Read the Article Here

Robotics in Aged Care

Modern aged care and disability housing designs are leading the broader market with the ‘tech’ innovation shown in this Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) report. Tailored intelligent systems are controlling blinds, switching on lights, and adjusting heights of benchtops for individuals in their homes. We are finding the challenge will be introducing robotic devices like those in the show, into smaller home settings which is the direction of modern aged care and disability housing. Budgets and personal preferences of residents will dictate outcomes. 

Watch the report here.

New Aged Care Act

Coinciding with the introduction of the new Aged Care Act in 2025, the new year has started with a pleasing lift in inquiries by providers for new project work. From a design and building perspective, the new Act clarifies how new residential aged care homes will be assessed for compliance. This includes improved standards for accessibility and safety; resident autonomy; workplace design; and integration with home care services.

For more information on how the new Aged Care Act will affect the creation of new homes contact the KPA team on 08 9367 6866 or admin(at)kpa-architects.com. The changes take effect from 1 July 2025.

More SDA on the way

Our Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) project in Koondoola is progressing nicely toward its expected completion mid-2025. Designed for our client Habilitas to meet robust standards, and built by Cloudbreak WA, this development will provide three ‘forever homes’ to three residents and their OOAs (On-Site Overnight Assistance).

Two SDA Projects Nearing Completion

It’s great to start 2025 with site visits to two of our Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) developments. Designed for Habilitas, they have an expected completion in the 1st quarter of 2025.

Gosnells:

Designed to meet Improved Liveability, Fully Accessible, and High Physical Support SDA standards, the development comprises 2 x houses, which will provide a ‘forever home’ to six residents, as well as two OOAs (On-Site Overnight Assistance).

Armadale:

Already fully tenanted, this SDA is designed to Robust standards and comprises 3 x villas, which will provide a ‘forever home’ to three residents, as well as three OOAs (On-Site Overnight Assistance).

Another Award Win

Congratulations to Dale Alcock Projects for winning the Housing Industry Association (HIA) 2024 Western Australia Specialised Housing award for the KPA-designed Brightwater Care Group Huntington’s Disease Campus in Piara Waters. This follows the 2024 Perth Specialised Housing of the Year award win in October.

KPA Architects are proud to have been involved in this world-class project.

Read more here.