ALBION MEDICAL CENTRE 

Medical Centre _ Albion VIC. Australia _ Design Stage

The Albion Medical Centre breathes new life into a culturally significant Edwardian residence that was once owned by Samuel McKay, brother of industrialist H.V. McKay - creator of the Sunshine Harvester. This heritage-listed house, one of the first built in the Sunshine estate founded by the McKay’s, now aims to serve the community in a new capacity - as a medical clinic designed to promote wellbeing, while honouring the legacy of place.

The proposed retrofit and restoration carefully preserves the original character of the dwelling, with interiors drawing on the home’s historical context through considered material selection and a soft, location-specific colour palette that fosters calm, comfort and healing. A newly built allied health wing gently wraps around the side and rear of the existing home. Designed to sit quietly behind the original, the addition remains subservient in both scale and form, sitting beneath the existing eaves lines, whilst employing a modest, recessive material palette.

The new structure’s external expression takes cues from the nearby McKay Smithy hut in the H.V. McKay Memorial Gardens—an evocative nod to the region’s agricultural and industrial heritage.

Together, the restored home and its quietly considered counterpart create a centre that is as respectful of the past while enabling future-focused care for the local community.

BENT Team:
Paul Porjazoski, Michael Germano, Lana Blazanin, Alison Hui