Brick Inlay delivers colour & familiarity to Murrenda Residential Aged Care

Murrenda is a unique Residential Aged Care facility in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs designed by Studio STH to improve resident privacy, dignity and independence in a home-like environment. Forming part of the Wantirna Health precinct, Elders from the Wurundjeri people named the home using the traditional Woi Wurrung language; Murrenda meaning life, or living, aptly reflecting the culture and best-practice care model of the home.

Studio STH’s well-considered design helps to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of residents, carers and staff by increasing the sense of connection to the natural environment. So, there is ample access to natural light, fresh air and views to the Dandenong ranges. Designed for residents with limited mobility, dementia and challenging behaviours, small and personalised households with dedicated living, dining and outdoor spaces, and shared community and social spaces, both inside and outside, encourage social interactions between residents, staff and their families.

This 120-bed, four-storey development is arranged as two L-shaped wings, each a household containing seven to eight bed clusters. Studio STH’s unique approach to colour creates a practical and calming environment. It’s used as a wayfinding device, with dementia-appropriate artwork and graphics connecting the home to the local context, the artwork creating familiarity and nostalgia, and the graphics reflecting the geographical locations in the great Dandenong region.

Sally Delany, Manager Design Services at the Victorian Health Building Authority explains, “We use colours and shapes to encourage natural movements throughout the building and into outdoor areas. If it’s simple and intuitive to get around, residents are more independent – avoiding confusion and anxiety.”

With an urban typology dominated by brickwork and caravans, the choice of material palette was clear: zinc-look perforated metal cladding, pressed aluminium window hoods, folded perforated metal cladding, timber soffit at the entry, face brickwork and a pop of colour via glazed brick tiles.

The façade was constructed with Brick Inlay using a combination of Antico Casale Ocra and Nero brick tiles, Rustic Red brick tiles and a beautifully vibrant mix of glazed brick tiles. Using Brick Inlay offered the traditional brick aesthetic, for the familiarity it afforded the design, while using a modern method of construction that delivers significant time and cost efficiencies to the building program.

Having all panels constructed off-site also enables greater quality control, because all panels are quality checked in the factory before delivery to site. For Murrenda Residential Aged Care, Brick Inlay accommodated the different brick colours and bonds all over the building, our proven and robust system delivering a high-quality variegated façade that brought the architect’s design vision to spectacular life.

Murrenda Residential Aged Care won the Health & Fitness Category of the INSIDE Awards in 2023, held as part of the World Architecture Festival awards in Singapore.

Architect: Studio STH

Product: Brick Inlay with Antico Casale Ocra & Nero brick tiles, Rustic Red brick tiles, and mixed Glazed brick tiles

Builder: ADCO Constructions

Precaster: Lux Precast

Photography: Chris Matterson