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Adaptive reuse of a complex of buildings for educational, residential and recreational use

Models Project Information
Proj ID: 

Model04

Proj Subject: 

Adaptive reuse of a complex of buildings for educational, residential and recreational use

Proj Name: 

La Trobe at Beechworth

Proj Purpose: 

To utilize the 106-hectares of grounds and buildings listed in the National Trust’s Register of historically significant buildings and convert these into one of La Trobe University’s seven campuses

Proj Time Frame: 

The restoration began in 1996 when La Trobe University acquired the land and buildings in December, one year after the Hospital closed its doors. La Trobe opened it to the public shortly after renovations were made to convert the space into more contemporary accommodations and for school use. Developments to the campus are still ongoing at present.

Proj Method & Activities: 

Renovations at La Trobe are sympathetic to the architectural style and character of the buildings and the site’s importance in Victoria’s history. The complex of 54 buildings was built from 1864-1867 as a mental hospital (with a series of smaller structures added in the 1930s). Thought to be designed by Archt. John James Clark whose works include the state’s Treasury Building, the main structure (a cement building designed in the Italianate style) is considered architecturally significant as an example of asylum design of the period. The surrounding 11-hectare garden (planted in the 19th century), with its collection of rare plants, is a Trust-listed Victorian Garden of Significance.

To date, the restoration work has produced a campus that houses La Trobe’s International Hotel School (for training in hospitality management), a conference space (the Professional Development Center), a venue for special events, and a residential area for short-term accommodations. The compound is comprised of two 20-30 room hotel buildings and close to ten self-catering cottages/lodges, 14 venues for conferences and other functions, a restaurant/bar, chapel, and recreation facilities (such as a theatre, gym, tennis court, game room, pool and spa).

Although La Trobe at Beechworth is mainly a function centre and university campus, it is also marketed as a heritage attraction in its own right. Interpretation of the site’s history and its noteworthy gardens is presented through tours that delve into the building’s past as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum (later renamed Mayday Hills Hospital in 1967). Two walking tours are offered on site: one, guided – the Beechworth Ghost Tour – the other, a self-guided tour of the buildings and gardens; and an annual concert (Opera in the Alps) is held on its grounds.

Models Coverage
Location: 

Beechworth, Victoria, Australia

The campus is set in the historic 150-year old ‘gold rush’ district of Beechworth – a mining town built upon the gold rush of 1850s and which served as the administrative center of Northeastern Victoria. Beechworth is considered an exemplary area for well-preserved 19th century Victorian architecture and streetscapes with the former Asylum/Hospital being only one of more than 30 buildings in the area identified by the National Trust as historically or culturally significant.

Models Financing
Funding Agency: 

La Trobe University

Models Organization
Mod Org Name: 

La Trobe University

Org Resources: 

Initial renovations in 1996 were conducted with the help of the architectural firm Cox Sanderson (now Cox Architects). In 2008, a Masterplan for further developments on the campus was underway with the guidance of Hassell (design studios) and a Landscape Heritage Assessment was prepared by John Patrick Pty Ltd for the gardens.

Org Mailing Address: 

La Trobe at Beechworth
Albert Rd
Beechworth VIC 3747, Australia

PO Box 474

Models Evaluation
Status: 

As of 2009, buildings are still being renovated for the school’s use in accordance with the requirements and restrictions on listed heritage buildings.

Selection Criteria & Results of Initiative: 

La Trobe at Beechworth was selected by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 2004 as one of ten case studies of successful adaptive reuse in the country.

In 2007, it won the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) National Awards of Excellence for the Best Mid-Range Accommodation category and was named a finalist in the 2008 awards.

This case illustrates an example of large-scale preservation of a historic complex which focuses on strategic, contemporary reuse of the space rather than preservation for the sake of historic interpretation and presentation (i.e., turning the area into a museum or heritage site).

Applicability to Philippine Setting: 

The relative success of local development complexes (e.g., Subic and Clark Air Force base) as converted leisure and accommodation facilities and the recent boom in special-occasion venues in the NCR suggests that a market exists for mixed-use function centers. Perhaps this might be feasible as a strategy for protecting heritage structures (as in the case of Illustrado Restaurant in Intramuros, Manila but on a wider scale).

Possible Benefits: 

This type of large-scale adaptive reuse project could conserve a complex of built structures thereby protecting a whole conservation area (i.e., the buildings and their landscape).

Successful adaptive reuse schemes minimize urban development and expansion and provide financial incentives to owners and developers to maintain the existing built environment.