Beechworth Wellness Centre
2016 / BEECHWORTH, VIC

This isn’t that heritage hospital in Beechworth everyone knows. It’s the other one, hidden behind overgrown hedges – a secret gem. Hidden halfway down the hill that its high-profile cousin sits atop of, this humble gem might just be the more beautiful example of regional heritage architecture of the two. Pulling those overgrown hedges back reveals a Flemish inspired beauty with broad facades and patterned terracotta brick. Hidden, gentle, weathered, humbly beautiful – it feels like a place to heal.

We gave the existing heritage façade a gentle facelift while taking the opportunity with the new courtyard to create a dynamic, adaptable façade, always taking care to gently merge the new and old to form an integrated facility.

We were conscious not to cover up the existing, but to let the old building’s character shine through – new components were stripped off, overgrowth cut back and replanted, old parts recovered and reinstated. But the wellness centre is just as much about the new. The building was gutted and fitted out with modern, light and fresh interiors – the crispness of the new and the richness of the old create an atmosphere conducive to wellness. The overall fit-out is light and gentle, with soft, calming new materials and translucent paint finishes on the old to allow the texture and grain of over a century of use to shine through. Modern lighting and fixtures add to the still, light atmosphere. All architectural elements combine to create a relaxing and unique wellness experience.

The courtyard façade is a performative piece of infrastructure that provides a replenishing source of income for the business – pots with growing plants get maximum sunlight exposure on a bleacher-style display that runs the length of the courtyard, at the same time shading the interiors and producing atmospheric dappled light in the healing spaces. The plants that surround the guests for their stay can be bought & collected as keepsakes. The façade works harder than most – it does solar work, atmospheric work, is alive, and feeds into the perpetual business model of the Wellness Centre, and lets the guests keep a living reminder of their stay. This type of creative thinking about commercial projects leads to optimal results for all – better for the guests both new and old, better for nature, for the architecture itself, for the client, and easier on the wallet both short-term and long-term.

We work hard and closely with clients to draw out the uniqueness of their particular business and blend it with the particularities of the existing fabric, and with the specific needs of the end-users – from places for soap and towels to colours and materials to efficient service systems. The experience of the place is rich and beautiful but behind this is a highly efficient layout which allows for minimal staffing levels and stored stock, making the business more efficient and facilitating a seamless experience for the end-users.