- 28 October 2005 - A $1 million project which will provide housing for individuals and their families as they adjust to life after suffering an injury to the spinal cord received a major boost today when the winning architect for the project was announced.

South Australian Ecopolis Architects in collaboration with Taylor Cullity Lethlean Landscape Architects has won the competition design for three two-bedroom houses at Hillcrest.

Perspective west unit

Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, and PARAQUAD SA formed a partnership to build the development, in Ramsay Avenue Hillcrest.

Around one hundred victims are admitted to spinal units every year in South Australia with half of them never to walk again.

Archicentre's State Manager, Christine Teichert, said: "The Ramsay Rebuild will provide a national showcase of best practice and provide the opportunity to take lessons learnt and promote them more widely across the development sector through the use of the Archicentre website and public exhibition once the project was completed.

"As the project proceeds we will be creating an electronic footprint with information which will be able to be accessed by the building industry, medical and government agencies."

Ms. Teichert said that whilst the project has been specifically developed for people with spinal cord injuries, many of the design principles of accessibility can also be applied to the needs of Australia's ageing population.

The Royal Australian Institute of Architects and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects endorse the competition, and encourage collaboration between the professions.

The Ramsay Rebuild project will be constructed during 2006 and is expected to commence in March.

The Ramsay Rebuild project can be viewed at www.archicentre.net

Media Enquiries:
Christine Teichert, State Manager, Archicentre SA Mobile: 0417 846 375
Ron Smith Corporate Media Communications Archicentre (03) 9818 5700 Mobile: 0417 329 201