Botanica - Opal St Ives
GroupGSA for Opal Care
Typology: Senior Living
Status: Concept Design complete, SDRP presentation, SSDA submission, design under review/ costing
Location: St Ives, Sydney, NSW
Project Details
GroupsGSA Architecture and Landscape were engaged to deliver a concept design to SSDA level for this Seniors Living project. The landscape design responds to the needs of Seniors and focusses on appropriate material selections, identity of place and planting design to prompt memory and engagement for the full facility, including a dementia care unit.
The project required a GSA co-led approach with WSP to Designing with Country involving walking on Country and consultation with traditional knowledge holders.
The site-wide inspiration for the landscape design is built on Country and sense of place within the catchment. Being adjacent the Garigal National Park, the various microclimates and catchment characters were represented as specific Courtyard identities, matching plant selection to courtyard aspect and the notion of site specific character such as Ridgeline, Shady Gully, and Creekside. Plant species selections represent a fusion of the character of St Ives and the indigenous vegetative communities. The botanical names are translated to each home wing and proposed as a naming convention.