Walumba Elders Centre

On the 13th of March 2011 the Giga people’s home town of Warmun, some 200km south of Kununurra, was devastated by a catastrophic 1:300 year flood event. 300 people were relocated to Kununurra for 12 months while some 100 houses were rebuilt. Working directly with the community elders and the Home and Community Care staff, iph designed a new home for the elders based on their Cultural and social needs, while still complying with the requirements of an Aged Care Centre that can provide a range of services under the Commonwealth “flexible aged care provisions”. The Centre performs several functions; it is the home for the residents and staff, it provides a kitchen, a commercial laundry, a dining, activity and celebration areas for the community, gender specific private activity areas and a generous courtyard for the residents to enjoy. The form of the building responds to the dramatic landscape of Warmun- the two wings of the building create mens’ and womens’ spaces while the “beachhead” of the entry and common activity area anchors the building to the land. External staircases and ramps link the main level of the facility to the ground.