McCall Community Hub

Sitting prominently above the community of Box Hill, McCall Community Hub has a complicated history. Opened in 1958 to provide fulfilling and nurturing disability services, the centre’s original century-old heritage buildings were deemed unfit in the 1980s and have carried a stigma for some since. In reimagining an initial design by Quattro Architects, there was a careful line to walk: celebrating the unique heritage elements that ought to be embraced, while signalling a positive new chapter and addressing lingering historical associations.

Given the centre’s geographical prominence, the design sets out to establish a community beacon—a thoughtful, generous place where people with disability and the broader community can integrate naturally, in a setting deeply connected to its landscape. This meant resolving existing issues with specific spaces, ensuring the site’s slope wouldn’t compromise accessibility, and responding to the needs and aspirations of its users.

The new centre is a striking community landmark. Architecturally, it retains and upgrades heritage buildings while wrapping them in a more open and contemporary structure. Built to bring people together, it features a café, multi-purpose community rooms, night gallery, playground for families and pool for swim schools.