As institutional capital piles into seniors living, a clutch of new projects is testing whether the sector’s traditional lowrise, single-care-model village is still fit for purpose. 

For decades, the Australian retirement village has followed a fairly consistent template: single-storey or lowrise units, communal clubhouse, and residents who eventually moved out once their care needs became acute. 

A handful of projects opening this year suggest that template is being pulled apart from several directions.