WESLEY EDWARD EAGAR CENTRE

Scott Carver redefines social housing

WORDS LIS PITT ARCHITECT SCOTT CARVER PHOTOGRAPHY BEN GUTHRIE

Currently, homelessness and the demand for social housing is expediated by the health, social and economic impacts of COVID. The supply of quality crisis accommodation is essential to alleviating this issue. With the prevalence of these issues and the arrival of the lockdowns, the completion of Wesley Edward Eagar Centre (WEEC) and its safe and dignified accommodation couldn’t have come sooner.

IMAGES The core principles of the WEEC are Home and Place: creating a sense of belonging for the most vulnerable.

PROJECT CREDITS

Architecture, Interior and Landscape Scott Carver Client Wesley Mission Builder Lipman Pty Ltd Project Manager epm Projects Pty Ltd Photography Ben Guthrie Studio Modos CGI Styling Kerrie-Ann Jones

“I feel humbled to have helped remove some of this fear by creating an open and welcoming place”

Wesley Mission is leading the way in a renewed consciousness of the dignity of persons impacted by homelessness. Thus, equality in design and the deinstitutionalisation of social housing is paramount in the renewal of the Wesley Edward Eagar Centre.

The core principles of the WEEC are Home and Place: creating a sense of belonging for the most vulnerable in Surry Hills. To reflect these principles, the refurbishment prioritised the dignity, comfort and wellbeing of its guests, placing these at the forefront of the design; from the upgrade of the heritage chapel and support service rooms within, to the internal refurbishment of guest rooms and new communal amenities. Wesley Mission CEO and Superintendent, Rev Stu Cameron, captures this stating, “I see care and commitment communicated through every detail of our refurbished centre. Scott Carver very quickly understood our ethos and have enhanced each space to communicate the value and worth we see in each person. Can a building change the way you feel about yourself? I like to think this one can.”

The upgrade to WEEC responds to the ongoing gentrification of vibrant Surry Hills, whilst celebrating its heritage. The facade design elevates the existing fabric with clearly decipherable yet complementing interventions. The remediated Heritage Chapel and its brutalist extension above, are in contrast with new lightweight bronze clad elements and glass recesses. The materiality, rhythm and vernacular of these, reference the historic layering of the facades on site. The cladding is perforated in places to provide light and ventilation to the spaces beyond, whilst providing a feeling of enclosure and safety.

The 1847 neo-classical façade and entry sandstone colonnade is activated by a contemporary landscape design. The spotted gum and steel seating, both compliments yet is clearly distinct from the heritage fabric. Lush natives and drought resistant planting reflect the bustling, green Bourke Street the centre sits among.

The spacious vaulted chapel is broken down by timber, metalwork and glass interventions that create moments of respite, and informal and formal social spaces. The placement and language of these insertions reference the heritage façade, maximise daylight, and improve vision across the space. An incision of glazing opens the ground floor to the laneway behind, bringing in light and air, but providing sense of enclosure with the overlay of a perforated bronze screen. The space is deinstitutionalised, becoming open, warm, bright, comfortable and hopeful.

IMAGES The upgrade to WEEC responds to the ongoing gentrification of vibrant Surry Hills, whilst celebrating its heritage.

“ Can a building change the way you feel about yourself? I like to think this one can.”

“If they can feel their shoulders relax and their eyes raised and their spirits lifted, then we are off to a good start,” says Rob Seaton, the operations manager of Wesley Mission’s homeless services.

The upper guest levels house 40 larger reconfigured rooms, with increased light and ventilation. Each of these rooms have now been provided with an ensuite; to create sense of ownership, improve dignity and to promote guest safety. Colour and texture is used to generate a soft, calming, homely space of residential character. Safety has played an important role in the details, from fixtures to furniture design. These furnishings create a place for also maintaining identity, where one can collect objects/interests and accumulate being; a home.

A new lift, communal kitchenette, laundry and lounge is included on each of the guest levels to promote responsibility, social interaction, and ultimately rehabilitation. Durable yet homely finishes are used, such as LVT flooring, composite stone benches and commercial grade bespoke furniture. The staff offices and break spaces on level 6 are opened to the refurbished garden terraces. These are calming spaces of retreat for clients and staff. A client herb garden is included along with planting and furniture to create a place of retreat for residents away from the bustle of Surry Hills. The result is a balance of community interaction and quiet relaxation. Here the perforated bronze screens provide safety, air and ventilation to the terrace, whilst providing a visual connection to the city beyond.

Rodney Paesler, Managing Director of Scott Carver says “it is so easy to under appreciate the vulnerability invoked by homelessness, and so I feel humbled to have helped remove some of this fear by creating an open and welcoming place in the refreshed WEEC. The simplest way to remove the stigma of not having a home, is to have one. Wesley allowed our design for their guests to feel every bit as their home, removing all notions of a transient institution.”