Featuring 103 residences and resort-style amenities within a landscaped garden setting, St. Clare is a purpose-built residential development to support demographic ageing, offering an architecturally designed community for the over 55s.
St. Clare for VMCH in Kew’s Studley Park has reached completion, with residents now moved onsite.
Guided by a strong biophilic design approach, over half the precinct has been dedicated to outdoor greenspace, including landscaped gardens, a central green, community planters and a private dog park.
Woods Bagot Associate Principal Blair Parkinson says beautifully designed, purpose-built homes that respond to demographic ageing are essential to supporting residents to remain happy, independent and connected within their own homes.
“The benefits of ageing in place within a village context cannot be overstated,” says Parkinson. “Working closely with the client, we designed residences that allow for future adaptation, enabling each home to evolve in response to residents’ changing needs, without making this process feel overt or clinical.”
Woods Bagot architects, in collaboration with landscape architects Oculus, carefully navigated an eight-metre fall across the site, creating a fully accessible precinct through considered and discreet design interventions.
“During the masterplanning process, slopes were addressed subtly and gradually so they are barely perceptible, eliminating the need for access ramps and platform lifts,” Parkinson explains. “The masterplan was also largely informed by the site’s existing flora. New built forms were strategically located adjacent to significant heritage gum trees, allowing the precinct to benefit from established tree canopies.”
Biophilic design principles further informed the architectural approach, with building massing broken into a series of smaller-scale structures to encourage view diversity—dual or triple aspects for most residences—and foster an intimate neighbourhood character.
The masterplan also establishes a clear hierarchy between public and private spaces, ranging from the adaptive reuse of a heritage building as a café for the broader Kew community, to semi-private resident amenities housed within adjacent heritage structures, through to individual residences and private gardens.
“It’s about providing residents with the autonomy to choose when they want to connect and when they want to retreat,” says Parkinson. “Spaces are designed both for personal retreat and for welcoming family and visitors.”
Woods Bagot Principal and Interior Design Leader Bronwyn McColl notes that understanding the demographic was central to the interior design strategy.
“Most residents are transitioning from established family homes in Melbourne’s southeast, so it was important to maintain a sense of scale and generosity within the residences—through generous proportions, high ceilings and bespoke detailing—while ensuring ease of living and future-proofing to support ageing in place,” says McColl. “That peace of mind is what downsizers are seeking.”
“We aimed to create environments that promote security and confidence without compromising on refined aesthetics,” McColl continues. “Considered elements, such as bespoke entry door detailing, allow residents to personalise their homes and create a distinct arrival experience.”
Biophilic principles also informed the interior material palette, reinforcing visual connections to the surrounding landscape and mature tree canopy.
“Materials were selected for their durability, low maintenance and ability to age gracefully, including honed stone and natural timber,” McColl adds. “Drawing inspiration from the silver bark of the surrounding eucalypts, the interior palette establishes a visual dialogue between inside and out.”
VMCH chief executive Sonya Smart says St. Clare is the biggest project undertaken by the for-purpose Catholic organisation.“After years of planning and hard work, it’s wonderful to see the vision of St. Clare come to life,” says Smart. “Watching the community come together has been a proud moment for everyone involved.”
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