Arcadia sets a new benchmark for integrated retirement living in Brisbane

The practical completion of Stage 1 at Arcadia Retirement Living in Yeronga marks more than the delivery of another retirement community. For RetireAustralia, it signals the emergence of its largest greenfield development to date and a clear statement about where the next generation of retirement living is heading. 

When complete, Arcadia will comprise up to 217 independent living apartments and a 10suite Care Hub, delivered across multiple buildings within Brisbane’s Parkside Yeronga Priority Development Area (PDA). But it is not just the scale that sets Arcadia apart — it is the way the project has been conceived, shaped by research, precinct planning and lessons learned from earlier developments. 

“Arcadia is the most ambitious project we’ve undertaken to date,” said Brett Robinson, CEO of RetireAustralia. “It’s allowed us to take everything we’ve learned over many years — about design, care, services and community — and apply it in a way that responds directly to how retirement living is changing.” 

Retirement living as part of a living neighbourhood 

Arcadia sits within the Parkside Yeronga PDA, a 3.1hectare former TAFE site being redeveloped by Economic Development Queensland as an intergenerational, mixed tenure precinct. The broader masterplan brings together retirement living, private residential housing, social and affordable housing, green spaces and community infrastructure, deliberately designed to connect people of different ages and life stages. 

Within that context, Arcadia represents a leading Brisbane example of retirement living integrated into a broader urban neighbourhood, rather than operating as a standalone village. 

“The future of retirement living isn’t about separation — it’s about connection,” Robinson said. “People don’t want to step away from everyday life when they retire. They want to remain part of a neighbourhood that feels active, relevant and connected to the wider community.” 

The site was acquired through a joint venture between RetireAustralia, Brisbane Housing Corporation and JGL Properties, reflecting a collaborative approach to delivering mixed tenure outcomes at scale. 

“Projects like Parkside Yeronga only work when public and private partners are aligned around a shared vision,” Robinson said. “This joint venture structure has enabled us to deliver housing outcomes that are broader than any one organisation could achieve on its own.” 

Banksia Residences at Arcadia Retirement Living has reached practical completion, marking a key milestone in RetireAustralia’s largest greenfield development to date. 

Designing homes that rival the mainstream market 

Stage 1 includes 45 independent living apartments within the Banksia Residences, alongside the Care Hub. The apartments have been designed to compete directly with the broader residential apartment market, featuring generous layouts, premium fixtures and fittings, stone benchtops and Smeg appliances. 

What differentiates them is what is quietly built in: subtle ageing in place features, generous circulation space, level thresholds and futureproofed bathrooms — supporting long term independence without visually signalling “retirement living”. 

“For today’s retiree, a high-quality apartment is table stakes,” Robinson said. “If the home doesn’t match — or exceed — what they could buy elsewhere in the market, the conversation stops there.” 

Arcadia is being designed and built to align with 4 Star Green Star standards and the Australian Liveable Housing Gold Standard, reinforcing RetireAustralia’s objective of enabling residents to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, ideally through to end of life. 

Arcadia’s approach to sustainability extends beyond performance metrics to the everyday experience of residents. The project maximises the use of responsibly sourced and reused timber across shared spaces, including suspended acoustic timber ceilings crafted from oak. Beyond their architectural impact, these features address the acoustic challenges of large communal areas, helping create warm, comfortable spaces that support everyday conversation and connection. 

“Liveable design and sustainability aren’t optional extras anymore,” Robinson said. “They are fundamental to helping people live well, safely and independently over time.” 

Apartments at Arcadia have been designed to rival the broader residential market, pairing generous layouts and premium finishes with subtle ageing in place features that support long-term independence.

Bringing care closer to everyday life 

One of the most significant design decisions at Arcadia is the placement of the Care Hub on Level 1 of the first building, close to shared amenities and what RetireAustralia describes as the “beating heart of the community”. 

Rather than isolating care in a separate building, the Care Hub has been deliberately integrated into daily village life. 

“We’ve been very deliberate about making care visible, accessible and normalised,” Robinson said. “People want reassurance that support is there if they need it — without feeling like they’re being moved to the margins of the community.” 

The Care Hub sits alongside RetireAustralia’s Support at Home services, reinforcing a model where independent living at home is the priority, and higher levels of care are available only when needs can no longer be safely met there. 

The communal dining and living area within Arcadia’s Care Hub has been designed to feel deliberately homelike, using the same materials, finishes and design language as the apartments to create familiarity and continuity. 

A different approach to amenities 

In many contemporary retirement developments, amenities are increasingly spread across multiple buildings to manage scale and walkability. At Arcadia, RetireAustralia has taken a different approach by centralising most shared amenities on the ground floor of Building One. 

This includes a resident lounge, bar, library, kitchen and communal spaces designed to create activity, vibrancy and everyday social interaction. At the top of the building, residents will also share access to a rooftop BBQ and entertainment area with panoramic views across the Brisbane CBD and Mount Coot-tha. 

“We’ve learned that amenity placement matters just as much as amenity provision,” Robinson said. “When you bring people through shared spaces every day, connection happens naturally. That’s how communities form.” 

Importantly, the rooftop space ensures that the best views are shared by all residents, not reserved for a small number of premium apartments. 

“Access to outlook and experience shouldn’t be gated by price alone,” Robinson said. “That sense of generosity is important to how a community feels.” 

Arcadia Retirement Living within the Parkside Yeronga Priority Development Area, integrating retirement living into a broader, mixed tenure urban precinct in Brisbane’s inner south. 

A people led service model 

These shared spaces are only as effective as the people who bring them to life. Arcadia introduces a village team structure designed around how future residents expect to live. From day one, the community will include a Village Manager, Concierge, and Care and Wellness Coordinator, supported by an onsite care team. 

This reflects extensive research showing that while the apartment is the foundation of a premium retirement living experience, amenities, services, and care are the strongest drivers of perceived value. 

“The next generation of retirees see care as a hygiene factor,” Robinson said. “What they really value is service — people who make life easier, smoother and more enjoyable.” 

“That’s why we’ve invested so heavily in the village team model at Arcadia. The people are what bring the buildings to life.” 

The Arcadia project team on site following the practical completion of Stage 1. 

Ahead of schedule, with momentum building 

Stage 1 has reached practical completion ahead of the original program, following a deliberate resequencing of the project that allowed product to be brought to market earlier than planned. Robinson said the outcome was driven by close collaboration between RetireAustralia’s development team and delivery partner Hutchinson Builders, significantly reducing both delivery and sales risk. 

Sales activity reflects the realities of launching within an active construction environment. More than 25 per cent of Stage 1 apartments have now been secured, with a strong pipeline of prospective residents waiting to inspect completed homes prior to committing, and enquiry levels remaining solid. 

“Selling into a live construction site is never straightforward,” Robinson said. “What we consistently see is that once people can walk through completed spaces and experience the community taking shape, momentum accelerates quickly.” 

Prices currently range from the mid $800,000s through to $2.6 million, depending on size, configuration and outlook. 

A signal of what’s next for the sector 

As construction continues across subsequent stages, Arcadia will evolve into a large, service and amenity rich retirement community embedded within one of Brisbane’s most ambitious urban renewal precincts. 

For Robinson, the project represents more than a milestone — it reflects a broader shift underway in the sector. 

“Retirement living is moving from being a product to being an experience,” he said. “Arcadia is our response to that shift — integrated, people led and designed around how older Australians actually want to live.” 

“If Arcadia shows anything, it’s that the future of retirement living is about connection, confidence and choice — not compromise.”