Working and co-designing with the Bendigo & District Aboriginal Cooperative (BDAC), we set out to demonstrate how healthcare facilities can lead in sustainable design without compromising functionality or care quality.
The BDAC mixed-use health facility is a project situated on Dja Dja Wurrung country. The project caters to the growing needs of BDAC and the community in the region, providing varied health services, including 9 consulting suites, 4 yarning rooms, allied health rooms, dental services, administration and office areas, and meeting rooms, spread across two storeys.
The form of the new building is intentionally symmetrical to foster a totemic quality, but without being overtly specific. The Bunjil eagle and the Waa crow, but also the butterfly, moth and sugar glider are all readable in different ways and at different scales and viewpoints. The hovering wing like roof forms and entry canopy reinforce these readings, as do skylit voids through the central entry and gathering space giving a connection to the sky and heavens above. These gestures are to be complemented by cultural patterning in the structural expression and surface treatments of the building fabric so that the cultural representations of these creatures of flight are celebrated in addition to the creatures themselves.
The materials used for this project were selected to reduce carbon emissions, both in upfront carbon and operational energy. Boral Envirocrete (Flyash Concrete) enables an 8.7% carbon saving, while the lift shaft, stairs, and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) slab further reduce overall carbon emissions by 13%. Together, these elements achieve a significant 21.7% carbon emission reduction. However, this project is about more than just numbers—it demonstrates how Indigenous values of caring for community on Country can align with sustainable building practices.
Additional sustainability strategies include landscaping with deciduous planting, battery power storage from solar panels, on-site organic waste bins, and infrastructure for electric car charging.
The BDAC mixed-use health facility integrates buildability and sustainability while maintaining a close connection to Country, offering insights into future pathways for sustainable design.
This project has been designed and delivered in collaboration with Workshop Architecture.
