Romsey Community Health

The former primary school in Romsey had been vacant for 10 years. Macedon Ranges Shire Council purchased the building with the intention of providing community health services from the building and transforming the former schoolyard into an ‘all abilities’ public park, incorporating sensory, play, and discovery areas. The building consists of a series of consulting suites, administration, and staff areas, along with community spaces including a meeting hall and public amenities. The school building is covered by a heritage overlay, requiring specialist input into its preservation and reuse. The architectural challenge was to provide an extension to the strong figure of the gable-roofed school with a companion building that respected the original but was not a weak imitation or poor relation. Compatibility of scale and material texture and detail in the new work provided a companion form without competing with the original. Capturing the views towards Mt. Macedon informed the internal planning of the new wing and integration with the all abilities park design, and addressing arrival at the site, drove the planning of the external works.