Project team
- Australian Glass Group
- LadyPhoto
A purpose-built Aboriginal health centre in Narrabundah, ACT, designed to enhance thermal efficiency, natural light, and acoustic comfort, while celebrating cultural identity and providing holistic healthcare services for the community.
Thermal efficiency, natural light optimisation and acoustic attenuation were key considerations in realising the Winnunga Nimmityjah community’s aspirations for a distinct Aboriginal community health centre in Narrabundah, ACT on Ngunnawal/Ngambri Country.
The community wanted to offer holistic healthcare for the first time in a fit for purpose building delivered via a meaningful design response celebrating Aboriginal peoples and evoking pride in the community.
The community engaged architecture firm Judd Studio, which worked closely with the community to ensure that functions, relationships and aesthetics of spaces were designed in accordance with cultural requirements.
Completed in February 2021, the centre delivers best practice spaces for medical consultations and treatments, social and wellbeing services including services for people with complex needs, community meeting spaces, indoor and outdoor consultation areas, family consultation spaces, group counselling and education sessions, new staff meeting and recreation facilities and corporate services areas.
The design of the building aligns with Winnunga’s client-centred healthcare approach. A light-bathed central focal space warmly welcomes clients and provides access to healthcare, social and emotional wellbeing services, and community facilities. Here, high ceilings and a natural colour scheme evoke a gathering space rather than a standard medical waiting room. Throughout the building ample external connections ensure abundant natural light in consultation rooms, offices, and staff meeting spaces.
Castle Glazing ACT worked with Judd Studio to tailor and manufacture glazing, window and door solutions to deliver thermal comfort, energy efficiency, abundant natural light and privacy for consultations.
Castle Glazing owner Daniel Jarrett says they selected and installed a combination of standard Classic, LowE Plus and LowE Max glazing options throughout the building depending on aspect and functional requirements.
Where heightened performance was required over and above standard Classic DGU units, LowE Max maximises solar control and insulation, without compromising visible light; while LowE Plus is an ideal LowE solution for colder climates such as Canberra’s, optimising visible light, passive heat gain and insulation.
“In the centre’s double-height entrance atrium we installed highest performing LowE Max glazing to create a light-filled space to welcome clients before they attend centre services and to prevent sound travelling into ground level and upper level consultation rooms.”
Expansive glazing to building courtyards and within the building required similarly tailored responses.
The project has been recognised as the benchmark for Aboriginal managed health and community services around Australia and earned commendations for public architecture (Australian Institute of Architects, 2021).
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