Kangan Institute Health and Community Centre of Excellence

Kangan Institute’s Health and Community Centre of Excellence (HaCCoE) began and evolved through rigorous and extensive consultation between the design team and key stakeholders, including students, staff, Hume City Council, neighbouring institutions and broader industry representatives.

The comprehensive consultation process involved workshops, observation of learning and visits to other institutions. The design team worked with the staff, students and other stakeholders to create a unique vision for this ground-breaking training facility.

The design team used VR and 3D fly throughs to communicate all parts of the design to stakeholders, from spatial arrangements to joinery details. Delivered under a Design & Construct contract, extensive prototyping ensured the design vision was realised.

This project also included the development of an overarching campus Master Plan. Optioning undertaken with the stakeholders informed the location of the entry which optimised future connectivity with the campus’ central heart.

In parallel, a generous colonnade extends from the entry to address both the pedestrian circulation spine and turns the corner facing south to address and provide a welcome façade to Pearcedale Parade and the Town Park. All urban context decisions were explored and made through the ‘existing campus’ and ‘future campus’ lens.

Designed to make the most of its strategic position beside the town park within a busy mixed precinct, this purpose-driven building puts learning on display to ignite interest in pathways to fields such as aged care, childcare, and allied health services.

Responsive to the needs of students and staff, welcoming of community and compelling for industry partners, the Kangan Institute’s Health and Community Centre of Excellence is a bold, future-focused and sustainable home for tomorrow’s vocational workforce. It heralds a new era of health and community education in Australia and beyond.

HaCCoEs masonry façade is a tribute to the evolving civic, institutional, and residential nature of Broadmeadows. The curvature and articulation of the brickwork impart fluidity, warmth, and softness.

Inspired by the topography of the Yuroke and Moonee Ponds Creeks, the brickwork was developed as an artwork about the flow of life, with cellular patterns reminiscent of an ultrasound image.

The building’s skin peels away at ground level with large shop-front windows. These give people passing by – including a steady stream of culturally and linguistically diverse students – views into the innovative, tech-enabled learning happening within.

HaCCoE’s planning is arranged in two halves placed either side of a central circulation spine and atria that commences at the park facing entrance atrium. A rational, cost-effective structural grid allows for flexibility and adaptability throughout its lifespan.

The learning spaces are engaging and interactive industry simulation environments, catering to nursing, pathology, disability support, residential care, and early childhood education. Each space embraces virtual learning, incorporating digital technologies, and enabling simulation of complex or potentially hazardous situations.

These spaces, alongside formal and informal learning spaces, are distributed over three levels connected by light-filled atria. The staggered triple-height volumes encourage exploration and social interaction, facilitating vertical connections throughout the building.

Simulation spaces are visible from both the atria and the exterior, putting the learning experience on display for students and the public alike.

In the building’s triple-height foyer, visitors are greeted by the ‘Three Bilangs’ sculpture by First Nations artists Aunty Kim Wandin and Christine Joy, suspended over the entry atrium. Inside, a sense of calm comes through the minimal material palette of timber, concrete, glass, and views to Country beyond, complemented by clear sightlines and acoustics tailored to learning.

HaCCoEs stimulating and interactive environment allows students and teachers to put theory into practice across a range of fields including nursing, pathology, and disability support.

The Health and Community Centre of Excellence cleverly embraces the virtual world to elevate the learning experience. The new physical settings reflect Kangan Institute’s blended learning model, which draws on the experience of the pandemic and changed patterns in how we live, learn and work.

Kangan’s approach places greater emphasis on hands-on learning and collaboration. Students have greater autonomy than ever before to access learning resources online whenever and wherever they choose, including in the learning commons throughout the building.

Various spaces and their integrated technologies are designed to simulate difficult or potentially dangerous situations virtually or by augmenting student tasks with the aid of digital technologies.

One of the building’s standout features is an immersive and adaptable theatre where students, teachers, and industry visitors can be fully encircled by screens for instructional purposes. Alternatively, the curtains can be drawn back to create a more open theatre setting, complete with tiered seating and high observation windows.

The building’s facade design emerges from a thorough investigation of function and setting. The south façade, which is subject to low solar heat loads, is characterised by transparency and warmth, featuring floor-to-ceiling glazing that maximises views over the Town Park while celebrating Health and Community training along Pearcedale Parade.

Conversely, the north and west façades, which are subject to high solar heat loads, are adorned with tall, slim windows set within a deep, solid and thermally robust masonry form. This strategy embeds sustainability as an integral element of the architecture by providing solar protection while reflecting the buildings purpose.

Qualified care and support for those 65 and over is now one of the fastest growing parts of our economy. In these sectors, which all draw on a predominantly female workforce and a high proportion of people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, most entry level jobs have no or low qualification requirements.

HACCOE expands skills and opportunities for fulfilling careers in these high-demand fields. More than 700 students will train here annually, many of whom will be local. Students will be set up for success through an unparalleled vocational learning experience and strong pathways with university, industry and community partners, creating a long-term pipeline of workers ready to fill the in-demand jobs of Melbourne’s North.

The project also represents a significant investment in the vitality and growth of multicultural Broadmeadows and its surrounding communities. HaCCoE is a game changer for Hume region, with Kangan Institute able to introduce new courses to the community in critical skills such as nursing, aged care, pathology and allied health assistance.

More than a training hub, HaCCoE is a vital piece of Broadmeadows’ revitalisation story as a thriving, connected suburb. Set to achieve formal 5 Star Green Star certification, HACCOE is the first move in an ambitious Campus Masterplan. It responds to its current context while demonstrating sustainable, environmentally sensitive design.

The design then introduces a significant amount of new vegetation seamlessly transitioning into the Town Park. The building harvests rainwater for reuse, as well as includes a bio basin to process storm water before it leaves the site.

Inclusive spaces such as parents room, multi-faith room, emergency rooms, quiet rooms, and social interaction rooms are accessible to all. All gender amenities have also been provided.

This building not only exemplifies rational design with longevity but also paves the way for a sustainable future.