Located in Bentley just south of the Perth CBD, SwanCare’s new 15-hectare site consists of three aged care facilities, one retirement village and the SwanCare At Home service, making it the largest senior care and retirement campus in West Australia.
With a vision to enrich the lives of everyone in the community, SwanCare Ningana aged care facility provides outstanding care services within a welcoming and supportive environment. Designed to keep people together in the latter part of life, SwanCare uses the analogy of a home, street, neighbourhood, village and town to define their whole-of-building. This aims to create that homely and familiar feel for residents by imitating the everyday surroundings of the outside world, where a home has indoor gardens, reading nooks, lounge spaces, etc.
Lighting is an essential component that helps create a safe, engaging environment, mutually supportive of residents and staff. The built environment optimises sun penetration and ventilation into the communal and public spaces. To complement the natural light and limit the risks associated with an improper and unsuitable lighting scheme, SwanCare uses luminaires to provide layered illumination throughout the facility.
SwanCare puts much effort into the strategic planning of luminaires placement to prevent physical injuries and cognitive risks of confusion and disorientation at night. Along the hallway and staircase areas, the Cuadro Wall Lights are used as step lights to assist wayfinding. Outdoors, there are hut-like resting stops throughout the garden – an ideal space to sit and enjoy a breath of fresh air. Hidden atop the circular ceiling crevice and below the benches, the Aeon Flex linear light draws attention to the hut’s timber texture while rendering the most pleasant source of ambient light. At the same time, the Apex Downlight with an IP65 were selected to provide task lighting above the table surface and provide that extra level of visual support and safety for our elders.
External to the main building is a scalable green yard where outdoor activities are hosted during the day. At night, residents can sit on wooden benches at the yard’s periphery and enjoy moments of solemn peacefulness. To prevent the risks of visual confusion in this space, SwanCare skillfully arranges the Athena Wall Lights to illuminate downwards along the columns and onto benches and ground surfaces. The position of each fixture was calculated so that the beams are connected, eliminating shadows and fear of darkness.
One of the main focuses in the library, and internal hallway is creating an even and uniform light distribution. As a result, the Eclipse linear light is selected as it can render a single lineage of illumination along the entire length of the space, which means there is less contrast between light and dark, preventing feelings of confusion and risks of missteps.
Driven by the ideas of community, activity and sustainability, SwanCare delivers on the promise of providing reliable caring service and making retirement living effortless.
To learn more about Lighting in Aged Care, click here!
Credits
- Architects: Cameron Chisholm Nicol
- Builder: ADCO Constructions
- Consulting Engineer: Best Consultants
- Electricians: Team Electrical
- Lighting supplier: Mondoluce
- Photographer: Peter Bennetts & Greg Hocking
