New community hub for Sydney disability support centre

A disability support services organisation in Sydney's north-west has received council approval for the $35 million redevelopment of its community hub, designed by Plus Architecture.

The proposal will incorporate three heritage buildings on the site of McCall Gardens Community Foundation in Box Hill, and create an inclusive, accessible and wellbeing focused centre.

A redevelopment proposal was first submitted in 2021, before an amended proposal was submitted to Hills Shire Council in 2023.

Plus Architecture said its updated design will become a "community beacon."

"The backbone of the updated DA is about creating a new way forward of providing care for people with special needs, through better integration with the local community and finding ways to overcome stigma through design," said Plus Architecture principal Gabriel Duque.

"We went through the process of essentially re-establishing the aspirational and the functional briefing requirements of the Hub, trying to ensure that we stayed within the original footprint of the original DA while celebrating the site assets and fine-tuning the design to be more accessible, and inserting more opportunities where people are able to come together."

McCall Gardens was established in the early 1950s after parents of children with disabilities joined together to create a place to live. When the facility opened in 1958, it was the first of its kind in New South Wales.

The revitalised community hub will include a sensory garden, user-friendly landscaping, a cafe, multipurpose rooms for community use, play facilities for families and children, and a swimming pool.

The design will incorporate textures, sounds, tactile features, improved wayfinding, curved walls and sensitive lighting design.

"With over 1.3 million people living with disability in NSW, it is critical that services and facilities provided across our communities afford all people the dignity, respect and inclusivity they deserve. At McCall, we recognise the inherent value and potential of all people. We understand that 'people with disabilities' are 'disabled' not by their impairments, but by the barriers and limitations put forward by society," said McCall CEO Belinda Colombrita.

"The McCall Community Hub is part of our fight for greater inclusivity and equity. It aims to bring the community together and celebrate a sense of place. It turns what was a very 'inward' community environment into an 'outward' and inviting gesture - ensuring that the McCall Community Hub can enjoy an enduring legacy and serve the community for many years to come," Colombrita said.

Construction set to begin in May 2024 and is anticipated to be complete in October 2025.