Bruce Curtis, the CEO of Bethany Christian Care, is rightly proud of his new facility which he describes as one of the most state-of-the-art in the country, a view he says was supported by the Federal Minister for Aging who opened The Plains in June 2006.

Located on former market gardens in young suburb south of the Brisbane CBD, The Plains is well located near the confluence of the Pacific and Gateway Motorways.

This is Stage 3 of the project, comprising an administration block, a 104-bed aged care facility, 24 serviced apartments and a community hall. Stage 1 consisted of 28 independent living units, and construction of a further 46 units in Stage 2 is about to begin.

The low ongoing costs of face brickwork were instrumental in its selection. “We didn’t consider other materials because of the maintenance issues,” Bruce Curtis says firmly. Brickwork was also more affordable than the alternatives. As a class 9c under the Building Code of Australia, lower-cost residential construction practices were permitted than those required for institutional buildings.

Pino Gentile, Thomson Adsett’s team leader for this project, describes the external design as “an exercise in form and massing and breaking it up into a campus of buildings that are linked in various ways.” Brick creates a common theme, reinforcing that link.

Brickwork’s familiar residential associations also help to create a more homely feel, a comfort for new residents undergoing the emotional and physical disruption of moving out of their own home.