KPA Architects

Latest thoughts on Perth’s aged care from KPA Director, Todd Paterson.

The coverage in The West Australian highlights sobering data on Perth’s aged care bed shortages, yet this crisis offers a powerful catalyst for architectural innovation. The Commonwealth’s $115 million capital boost, paired with the Cook Government’s fully utilized $100 million loan facility, unlocks an urgent mandate to fast-track construction.

For KPA Architects, a strict two-year delivery window is a brilliant opportunity to pioneer agile design. By replacing slow, traditional builds with advanced modular manufacturing, vertical urban integration, and rapid adaptive reuse, we can swiftly deliver high-acuity spaces. This funding squeeze will ultimately revolutionize local aged care, transforming clinical environments into vibrant, modern, and deeply dignified homes.

Aged-care fix fast-tracked as Perth’s shortage looms large Perth is the target of the latest round of Commonwealth grants to build more aged care beds, after recent figures warned the shortfall is getting worse.

The forgotten space in aged care and disability homes is having its time in the sun. As we work through the new Aged Care reforms, we are finding that gardens are becoming core design assets in new projects, not just fresh air spaces. Rising expectations for wellbeing‑centred environments are pushing providers to demonstrate quality‑of‑life outcomes. And gardens can deliver exactly that: sensory stimulation, mobility confidence, social connection, and calmer dementia‑friendly spaces. For specialist design accommodation gardens enhance autonomy and reduce behavioural distress. And the added good news is that gardens enable providers to meet the higher expectations and standards relatively affordably. Below is the sensory garden at the award-winning Brightwater Huntington’s Disease Campus in Piara Waters, designed by KPA Architects.

Older adults are not afraid of new technology like AI when it is introduced thoughtfully. That is the finding of new research by the UNSW that challenges the residential aged care sector to harness the enormous opportunity for AI to help in treating loneliness in older age with AI skilled companions.

Why AI Companionship May Be Part of the Future of Aged Care As a clinical psychologist and researcher in loneliness and social connection at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), I believe we need to widen the toolkit— not incrementally, but dramatically. Artificial intelligence presents one such opportunity. Not as a replacement for care, but as a ...

Our latest newsletter is out in the world! This quarter our news is focused on the Aged Care sector.

Latest News from KPA Architects 2026 is off to a solid start, and this newsletter focuses on the growing Aged Care and Retirement Living sectors. We're currently working on several projects in this space and see first-hand the demand, both in the metropolitan area as well as regional, and also the constraints the industry is faci...

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What a great idea from Queensland to entertain and energize aged care residents. Good example of doing things differently to activate minds, like the design of mealtimes.

All aboard! VR train brings joy to residents - Aged Care Insite Residents at St Vincent’s Care Toowoomba are taking in the sights of Europe, sampling regional cuisi

Good to see more funding available for ‘shovel-ready’ aged care projects in hotspots like Perth. Hopefully, the new federal initiative will back-up the recent state announcement.

Government’s $115m for aged care ‘hotspots’ - Aged Care Insite The Albanese government has announced a $115 million investment to rapidly expand resident

International Women's Day is this Sunday, and the theme this year is 'Give To Gain', which emphasizes the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase. Together, let's help forge gender equality through abundant giving.

Shout out to the wonderful women at KPA!

Very timely comments by Clare. In addition to new aged care homes there is also potential to invest in short-term upgrades to existing facilities for people transitioning out of hospitals earlier.

This morning, CEO Clare Grieveson joined ABC Radio Perth to highlight the growing aged care crisis in WA, from people remaining in hospital due to limited aged care capacity, to the urgent need for 5,500 new beds by 2030.

Clare reinforced the need for stronger collaboration with government, smarter use of virtual emergency systems, and urgent investment in new aged care facilities, particularly in Perth’s fast growing northern corridor.

“We need to act now. Our ageing population is rising faster than the number of beds being built. Without coordinated planning and investment, older Western Australians simply won’t have the care options they deserve,” Clare said.

She also encouraged families to start planning early, including having honest conversations about future care needs and understanding the full range of options, from home care packages to residential aged care, before a crisis hits.