Opal Blacktown

Northrop was engaged by Opal Aged Care to develop a five-storey, 100-bed aged care facility, without losing premium space. The design is very new in the aged care sector, but crucial due to the land price in Sydney driving the need for vertical towers options. We were engaged to help them forge new ground due to our thorough understanding of the design brief and our multidisciplinary approach.

We needed to address two core challenges during the development, including the fact the site was positioned close to a railway line, and complicated stormwater discharge due to development in neighbouring properties. We ensured the client was involved with all negotiations with said properties, as well as the local council, each step of the way.

The solution – extensive research

A significant amount of research into vertical tower designs, as well as building services systems for electrical, communications, HVAC, fire safety and sustainability was conducted during the design process. This enabled us to demonstrate to local

council that the proposed design we prepared was compliant and would not have flooding impact on the site. As a result, the stormwater pipe was successfully diverted without impacting the height and shape of the proposed development.

Open communication

Lengthy negotiations with neighbouring developers, and light modelling to ensure there was no impact on the existing railway corridor, helped us to establish a joint approach with relevant parties and ultimately saw the project succeed. The client was also kept up to date thanks to a series of workshops we hosted at regular intervals throughout the process.

Design and construction works as one

Our ability to work closely with the client to ensure the design intent was met during the construction phase reaped huge rewards for this project. Ultimately, the solutions we developed were not dramatically different to low-rise designs, the key differentiator being the location of the plant and the distance of the local room units, all while ensuring we delivered and maintained a cost-effective solution.

For more information on the services we offer, our team and recent senior living and care experience, click here.

Client Name
Opal Aged Care
Construction Value
$25 million

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