mecwacare John Hood Terrace

Total Construction completed the design and construction of mecwacare’s John Hood Terrace aged care residence in Richmond, Victoria. The project delivered a 77-bed residence with a double basement and six levels in total.

The residence incorporates generous dining and communal spaces on each level, including self serve café zones, a library, cinema, multipurpose activity room, hair salon, private dining room and communal TV room – all finished to mecwacare’s signature high standards.

Highlights:

• 181,016 hours worked
• 1,126 workers inducted
• 120 workers plant-inducted
• No LTIs recorded onsite

Situated on the busy Church Street with tram lines, access and egress to the site proved challenging. A strong traffic management plan was implemented and closely monitored to maintain safety and minimise disruption.

Preservation of the heritage façade was also a key challenge, with the team conducting early inspections to assess the existing propping and completing remedial works to ensure the structure was protected during construction.

In-situ concrete walls were adopted instead of AFS system, giving the structure contractor full control of the build sequence. This approach streamlined coordination, reduced trade crossover, and prevented delays linked to separate wall installation and pouring.

The team achieved early handover of the ground floor to allow mecwacare to bring potential clients and agents in for early viewings.

Architect: Life Architecture

Superintendent: APG