In the design of Carramar Residential Aged Care Facility, the LVO team considered that a residential facility for the elderly is both a workplace and a home for the resident. The design strived to reduce unwelcoming feelings typically associated with institutional environments and to acknowledge that aesthetics for the elderly is about quality of life which is affected by the quality of their environments.

The Carramar Residential Aged Care Facility project was a close collaboration between LVO, our Client and Construction Manager, Paynter Dixon, and the community based end user Client Carramar Stanthorpe. LVO was able to take on board the community and social participation that was provided by Paynter Dixon and the client body to create a community which integrates high care accommodation with independent retirement living.

This community involvement from the commencement of the project will in the long term increase the psychological health for seniors through the formation of friendships and support networks with the community. Community involvement also gave opportunities to inform the public of the underlying issues that necessitate planning, anticipate and resolve any potential resistance to the development, and build political support.

The design is sensitive to both the physical and psychological needs of residents, staff, families and the Stanthorpe community and also incorporates spaces for activities to allow residents to socialise and build support networks.