Inspiration
Terracotta
Villa Maria Catholic Homes St. Clare project featuring Monier’s Urban Shingle terracotta roof tiles in custom colours.
Client: Villa Maria Catholic Homes (VMCH)
Architect: Woods Bagot
Builder: Hacer Group
Roofer: Top Line Roofing
St. Clare is a $250 million premium senior living precinct by VMCH. Designed by Woods Bagot and constructed by Hacer Group, St. Clare is located on a 1.4-hectare site in the heart of Kew; one of Melbourne’s most established and leafy suburbs.
Created for the over-55s generation who want to downsize without losing the character and quality of the neighbourhood, St. Clare has been designed to set new benchmarks in senior living when it opens in December 2025.
A vision for longevity and elegance
From the outset, the design brief called for a robust design; one that is focused on longevity whilst retaining a strong connection to the character of Kew. The architectural team at Woods Bagot responded by breaking the large site into a series of pavilion-style buildings that echo the pitched roofs and fine detailing of the surrounding period homes.
“VMCH have held the site for over 50 years and the briefing for St. Clare was to ensure the new precinct would re-establish the site for at least another 50 years; looking as good then as it does today” explains Blair Parkinson, Assistant Principal at Woods Bagot. “It is about creating new structures with future heritage in mind.”
Why the roof mattered most
The steeply pitched, intricately detailed roofs became central to the design. Not only do they echo the surrounding heritage architecture, but their raked angles also allow light to filter between the buildings, a move that creates a greater sense of openness across the site.
Initially, the architects explored unconventional options, including extending brickwork tiling into the roofing. “Taking brick onto a sloped roofing surface is not how brick is meant to perform” Parkinson recalls “it comes with inherent risk of waterproofing failure and potential ongoing maintenance issues. We needed a proper roofing product that was tested, warranted, and designed for its function.”
A local solution with optimum performance
After exploring suppliers both nationally and internationally, the answer was found close to home. CSR Monier’s Urban Shingle terracotta roof tiles, manufactured locally in Vermont, Victoria, provided the performance and aesthetic flexibility the project demanded.
Colour matching was a critical part of the design, as each pavilion is expressed in a different brick tone. Working closely with Woods Bagot and builder Hacer, Monier’s Deborah Cronin and the Vermont manufacturing team developed custom tile colours that seamlessly complement the brickwork.
“Who would have thought the solution was in our own backyard?” Parkinson says. “We looked across Europe and China for options, but Monier was able to give us everything we needed with custom colours baked into the tile, a 50-year warranty and the detailing required for such complex roof junctions of varying pitches.”
Bringing design and craftsmanship together
Top Line Roofing was contracted to install the roofs, navigating the technical demands of steep pitches, intersecting ridgelines and bespoke detailing. The result is a series of roofs that appear effortless and refined, yet deliver the performance needed for use for many decades into the future.
An additional layer of complexity came with the roof’s numerous pitches and intersecting planes. Careful attention to water course detailing was essential, ensuring the system could perform reliably under varied conditions while maintaining a seamless appearance. The chosen roofing product not only delivered the required performance but also elevated the overall aesthetic, presenting clean, elegant lines across every junction and transition.
“Both Monier and Hacer really came to the table on this project,” Parkinson notes. “This isn’t your standard suburban roof. It’s a complex architectural expression and the final outcome has come up beautifully. You walk past and it feels like it was always meant to be there.”
A precinct embraced by its neighbours
The development has already won praise from the local community. “Neighbours walking past have been commenting on the roofs,” Parkinson shares. “When a large development goes up in your backyard, people are understandably nervous. But to have some neighbours say the design is sympathetic to its context, that’s rare, and it’s a real testament to how the façade design and roofing has tied everything together.”
A new standard for senior living
St. Clare offers premium residences and provide a great example of how architecture can respect its context while creating something truly future-focused and ultimately give its residents a comfortable, quality home that will stand the test of time.
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