The Dickson by Stockland
Located 14 kilometres south-east of Sydney’s city lies Landcom’s masterplanned coastal community called Prince Henry at Little Bay. Located at the heart of this exemplar urban renewal project is Stockland’s refurbishment of a former hospital building of exceptional heritage significance, now known as The Dickson. In 2009, the three storey 1930’s 225 room nurses’ accommodation building, originally named after founding Matron Clarice Dickson, was transformed into 42 luxury apartments.
Inevitably the greatest challenge for any adaptive reuse project is in identifying and extracting value from the physical and historic legacies of the heritage building itself. The Dickson successfully preserves ‘value elements’ offered by the heritage building so that legibility of the original envelope is retained but cleverly modifies the structure so that modern apartment living has not been compromised.
Under a highly prescriptive Specific Elements Conservation Policy (SECP) and strict masterplan design guidelines, the redevelopment met many challenges. The building needed to be redefined in its coastal context whist still preserving its own unique vocabulary. It also required an appropriate response to the surviving historic landscaping whilst still providing modern landscape design. There were added complexities with the statutory requirements for sustainability and accessibility that required careful attention. Similarly construction methodology required a unique approach to ensure minimal impact on the existing building.
Despite these obstacles, The Dickson exceeds purchasers’ expectations of a heritage refurbishment. These apartments offer a unique product which is unavailable elsewhere on the eastern suburbs stunning natural coastline.
Judges Comments
The Dickson is the adaption/redevelopment of the heritage significant three storey 1930’s 225 room nurses’ accommodation building at the heart of the master planned coastal community on the former Prince Henry Hospital at Little Bay, into a 42 quality apartments.
It is highly visible being on the highest portion of the land.
The original envelope has been retained but clever modification of the structure has delivered the modern 42 quality apartments.
The sensitive insertion of French doors and external balconies of lightweight steel appearance maximises the indoor/outdoor relationship and capitalises on the very special coastal site of beach and ocean and the adjacent Coast Golf Course.
The lift cores have been located externally and wrapped in warm natural materials to soften these new built elements.
The car parking has been built under the former enclosed court yard which has been reinstated with landscaping of turfed ‘waves’ and ‘troughs’ to provide a private retreat to shelter from the sometimes harsh coastal environment.