DKO Architecture has completed two resident clubhouses at Fullerton Cove and Natura in Port Stephens New South Wales. Each community offers residents resort-style living with architecturally designed spaces designed to foster social connection and active lifestyles. ’s clubhouses featuring private dining, an outdoor lap pool, a shared kitchen and more.
“The Natura and Ingenia Lifestyle Element clubhouses signify a new era of over-55s living that is contemporary in design and purpose, and which we believe will inspire resident wellbeing,” says Ingenia’s Executive General Manager – Acquisitions and Development, Michael Rabey.
“We’ve worked closely with DKO Architecture to ensure our clubhouses foster a strong sense of community and wellness. These buildings are where residents can come together to cook a meal, play sport, and relax with friends and family.
“It’s where friendships – and the communities themselves – are formed. The social aspect of our clubhouses is really important for residents, so choosing designs that foster connections was a key consideration for us.”
DKO’s Sam McCubbin comments on the uniquely progressive character for an over-55s community: “These buildings reimagine what clubhouses in land lease communities can be. More than amenities, they are high-quality, place-specific responses designed to encourage belonging and support wellbeing. Every element – from layout to materiality – has been considered to create spaces that encourage daily connection, activity and ease.”
McCubbin continues: “Today’s over-55s are looking for value without compromising their values. These spaces reflect a move from transactional amenity to lifestyle-led design – architecture that supports autonomy, clarity and connection.”
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Natura is especially focused on achieving a sensitive connection to its surrounds. Its clubhouse – The Lakehouse – has been incorporated into the natural landscape as an essential part of the design brief.
“The Lakehouse’s design focus was centred around a northern outlook towards an existing ornamental lake, and the building evolved as a series of pavilions in a garden, the idea being that each of those spaces should have a strong connection to the landscape and lake,” adds McCubbin. “From the beginning, we focused on dissolving the boundary between building and landscape. It’s about creating a sense of calm, grounded in everyday interaction with the natural environment.”
While Natura’s community space takes its inspiration from the natural environment, the Ingenia Lifestyle Element clubhouse has an urban feel, drawing inspiration from Scandinavian brickwork and nearby Newcastle’s rich cultural and industrial heritage.
“Natura is immersed in its garden setting; Ingenia Lifestyle Element is bold and urban,” explains McCubbin. “Designing them together allowed us to explore how architecture can respond to both place and people in very different ways. Ingenia Lifestyle Element draws from Newcastle’s industrial fabric – dark masonry, strong forms, and civic proportions. It feels grounded, adaptable and unapologetically architectural.
“Ingenia Lifestyle Element has a strong architectural gesture that welcomes residents to the community precinct. The building has a generous double height volume as you enter the front door, which is quite spectacular. Once you enter the clubhouse, you’re in this beautiful corridor space with skylights, lined by bricks where you can see straight down to the landscape to a beautiful tree – it’s exceptionally striking.
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