Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong peoples of the East Kulin Nations
Victoria
Ngamai Wilam, Victoria’s first publicly funded residential eating disorder treatment centre, establishes a new architectural and clinical benchmark for recovery-focused mental health care. Designed through an extensive co-design process with clinicians, people with lived experience and Boonwurrung cultural leadership, the project replaces institutional models with a calm, residential environment that positions architecture as an active participant in healing.
Set within a residential Armadale context, the building carefully balances neighbourhood scale with complex requirements of a 24/7 therapeutic facility. Warm materials, natural light, landscaped courtyards and legible spatial zoning support autonomy, safety and social connection, enabling a stepped model of care that bridges hospital and community treatment.
Named Ngamai Wilam, “The Giver of Life (Sunset and Sunrise) House”, the project embeds cultural meaning, dignity and hope within the public realm. Delivered within a constrained public budget, it demonstrates the power of thoughtful, collaborative design to create lasting civic and social value.
Ngamai Wilam’s architectural design response, directly supports the way people live, work and recover by providing a safe, calm and genuinely home-like environment that enables effective, evidence-based care. The residential scale, warm materials and residential spatial planning reduce institutional stress, supporting therapeutic engagement, daily living routines and shared meals as part of recovery. Purpose-built spaces accommodate group therapy, family and carer involvement, and multidisciplinary clinical work, while integrated indoor and outdoor areas promote dignity, autonomy and connection. The design enables statewide access, integrated service delivery and continuous care within a setting that feels restorative rather than clinical.
Neel Charitra, Project Director, Architect
Mluk Nehme, Project Architect
Donna Brzezinski, Director, Architect
Mervyn Rothwell, Project Architect
Devon Osborne, Project Architect
Angela Welch, Interior Designer
Lauren Kruger, Project Architect
Robyn Harkness, Project Architect
Simon Ellis Landscape, Landscape Consultant
Northrop Consulting Engineers, Civil Consultant
Northrop Consulting Engineers, Structural Engineer
LCI Consultants, AV Consultant
LCI Consultants, Electrical Consultant
LCI Consultants, ESD Consultant
LCI Consultants, Hydraulic Consultant
LCI Consultants, Services Consultant
LCI Consultants, Mechanical Engineer
LCI Consultants, Fire Engineer
LCI Consultants, Fire Safety Engineer
Approval Systems, Consultant Building Surveyor
Spiire, Town Planner
Resonate Consultants, Acoustic Consultant
Architecture & Access, Access Consultant
One Mile Grid, Traffic Engineer
Currie & Brown, Cost Consultant
Steve Watson and Partners, Building Surveyor
Monash Art, Design and Architecture (MADA), Co-design Consultant