St John had outgrown their Belmont home. The old Coolamon Centre was bursting with 130 years of Western Australian stories, but the spaces felt wrong for today’s work. We looked at those existing bones and saw potential—a chance to honour what came before whilst building something genuinely useful.

Three big ideas guided every decision. Celebrate the stories already here. Connect people properly. Bring nature inside. Not fancy principles—practical ones that shaped how people move, where things live, how the building talks to Belmont.

The Wagyl became our organising thread. That’s the Rainbow Serpent from Noongar Dreaming, and it winds through the site like a story being told. Yarning circles sit along its path, places for real conversation. Bush medicine gardens connect people to country. Brick walls remember the old pottery works that lived here first.

We started with atmosphere. Warm tones, timber-toned battens, and a calm palette transformed how the spaces feel from arrival to departure, and complement Aboriginal artwork by Abie Loy. The lobby now handles phone calls and meetings comfortably.

Acoustics were critical here, often overlooked but essential to perceived quality. The end-of-trip shifted from utility room to daily ritual. Clear wayfinding guides movement naturally. And it’s now a climate active carbon neutral building with a 6 Star NABERS Energy rating. Every decision asked how people arrive, transition, and reset.

“It feels genuinely welcoming for everyone who walks through the door.”

Bianca Lombardo, Associate, Plus Studio