June 2025 Case Study
In 1970, there were 1 million Australians aged over 65. In 2050, there is projected to be 7.8 million. And the fastest growing cohort of all is those aged 85+.
Thanks to advances in medicine and healthcare, those extra years will also be (for many) healthier. But the odds are strong that our need for suitable care facilities for older people will grow at a similarly rapid pace.
Designing for aged care
Community living for older people poses unique design demands, balancing safety, comfort and functionality. Jeffrey Green, of Jeffrey Green Building Services in Melbourne, has learned extensively through his work with Regis Aged Care, “General durability and longevity is key: consistent heating and cooling, clean air, minimal services and maintenance disruption. Building on a budget, often tight ceiling spaces and acoustic panels must accommodate multiple services, communications, fire protection, as well as lighting.”
Finishes should be warm and familiar, as well as achieving safety outcomes such as fall resistance, sensitivity to tactile needs, hygiene, colour contrast and ease of use. There must be adequate space for staff to work easily and calmly, and options to address different levels of physical and cognitive capacity.
Specific lighting challenges
High quality light sources play an important role in aged care design. Light needs to be of consistent quality throughout, high CRI and with good contrast to allow for visual impairment and aged-related shifts in colour perception. For efficiency and cost effectiveness, all lighting should be managed by simple and accurate control systems; unmanaged changes to the system can lead to different users playing with the lights resulting in a negative impact on the user experience. Both the controls and the individual luminaires need to deliver consistent reliable performance – maintenance issues are highly disruptive for staff and residents.
Exterior space is important to the community life of an aged care centre. Lighting in outdoor spaces plays in role in space perception, safety and navigation. There will always be greater contrast in a nighttime setting with artificial lights, so low glare will help with visual adjustment and comfort. Any exterior lighting on facades and garden features needs to work with the accommodation, avoiding disruptive or unpleasant light spill through windows and into private rooms.
Regis Aged Care Camberwell
The lighting design at Regis’ facility in Camberwell was prepared by Diane Vitale Design. “Creating residential ambience was the primary objective,” Diane explains. “Calm, even light with lack of shadows allows for comfort and well-being. Lighting should maintain clarity, contrast and comfort.” Staff needs were also a priority, especially with the need for 24-hour shifts. “Creating a pleasant and easy place to work assists with staff attraction and, even more importantly, with staff retention, which relates directly to resident welfare.”
Diane specified ERCO Skim downlights for the ambient lighting in bedrooms and common zones, attributing the choice to budget friendly uniformity, good CRI, glare control, consistent light levels, and the range of lenses for output distribution. Wide beam distributions in circulation areas and oval beam distributions in corridors meant fewer luminaires were needed – which led to reduced installation and operating cost, and a cleaner look to the space. 3500K colour temperature is a good neutral option, functioning well throughout the day and evening. Accent lighting was added using ERCO Starpoint on bench tops and for other task lighting needs.
ERCO’s low glare, high precision luminaires are well-suited to the aged care environment, contributing to improved spatial awareness, more navigable spaces and reduced fall risk. Designed to complement architecture, they also work to shape atmosphere in a space, creating a calm and reassuring environment that promotes well-being and comfort.
ERCO Skim Oval Flood lenses are useful for corridors where their generous beam angle allows for wide spacing and low glare.
ERCO Skim downlights were used throughout for consistency and simplicity. Carefully placed, they provide the right lighting for activities from therapy to the cinema!
Essential service
Meeting the needs of our changing population is already challenging our housing infrastructure. Aged care accommodation needs to be appealing, flexible, and to meet the needs of a diverse and often demanding social cohort. The better we design aged care accommodation, the better it will meet the needs of our communities and be seen as an attractive late-life option. This calls for it being well planned, low maintenance, sustainable, and a pleasant place to work as well as live. Every element of the architectural and interior design contributes to this – especially the lighting, which dictates functionality, the cost of operation and maintenance demands.
Further images of the lighting of Regis Aged Care Camberwell are available from ERCO, or you can arrange to visit the facility with colleagues from Jeffrey Green or Buckford.
Headquartered in Melbourne and with offices across three states, Buckford Illumination is one fo the largest specialist commercial lighting suppliers in Australia.
From mechanical and electrical services to communications systems and fire protection, Jeffrey Green Building Services specialises in design and documentation for clients in the commercial, health, retail, residential and education sectors.
Diane Vitale specialises in creating custom lighting that illuminates space but also enhaces mood, functionality and sustainability. Based in FLinders, Victoria, her is called Diane Vitale Design.
Channel Partner: Buckford Illumination
Building Services: Jeffrey Green Building Services
Lighting Design: Diane Vitale Design
Photographer: Jackie Chan
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