丨澳大利亚墨尔本丨Fender Katsalidis

The Alba

Gallery

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The Alba

Adaptive Reuse

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Architecture

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Interior Design

Seniors Living

South Melbourne

Fender Katsalidis designed and delivered The Alba, Stage 2 of the Albert Retirement Living Community Precinct. The Alba provides 95 residential aged care (RAC) suites and 60 assisted living apartments (ALA), offering a range of low and high care for residents.

Location

Melbourne, Australia

Client

Australian Unity

Cost

Confidential

GFA

17,800sqm

Completion

2023

Traditional Custodians

Bunurong Boon Wurrung peoples

Awards

:

Australian Apartment Advocacy Awards for Excellence - National, Winner - Ageing in Place, 2024

Australian Apartment Advocacy Awards, Winner - Apartment Award for Excellence in Ageing in Place, 2024

Property Council of Australia Innovation & Excellence Awards, Finalist - Procore Award for Development Innovation, 2024

ArchitectureAU, Commendation - Social Impact, 2024

The Urban Developer Awards for Industry Excellence, Finalist - Excellence in Industry Leadership, 2024

The Urban Developer Awards for Industry Excellence, Finalist - Development of the Year - Retirement, Aged Care and Seniors Living , 2024

See all

Like it’s neighbouring building The Grace, The Alba provides residents with the choice of aging in place within the precinct. The internal layout focuses on fostering human connection and socialisation to promote wellness and the well-being. A café in the lobby, designed by Sibling Architecture, allows residents of The Grace and The Alba to interact with each other and the greater Albert Park neighbourhood.

Communal areas are strategically distributed throughout the vertical design of the building for convenience and for easy access for residents and caregivers.

Ancillary services such as a commercial kitchen, laundry and allied services support residents in the tower.

The assisted living apartments are located on the higher levels of the building with unimpeded views of the city, the Royal Botanical Gardens and Albert Park Lake. The rooftop level houses communal amenities such as the library, an art studio, an outdoor terrace and an a-la-carte private restaurant.

The adaptive reuse of AU’s former headquarters building into a residential building was a first of its kind in Australia and established a new benchmark for vertical aged care living.

Leadership Team

:

Nicky Drobis

Partner, Head of Design

Jessica Lee

Principal

Sarah Hurst

Principal

Cheryn Cheam

Associate Principal