The Lady Lamington Herston Quarter was named after Lady Lamington, the wife of Queensland's governor from 1896 to 1901. This precinct was the earliest surviving nurse's quarters in Queensland. 

Located in the state heritage-listed Brisbane General Hospital Precinct, Lady Lamington was constructed in five stages between 1896 and 1938 to provide onsite accommodation for nursing and training staff.

A remarkable building in an Arts and Crafts-influenced style, the ‘E Wing’ of Lady Lamington was Robin Dod’s first major project in Queensland and established his reputation as a leading architect in the state. Completed by 1938, the two Spanish mission-influenced towers by Atkinson and Conrad present a contrasting architectural vocabulary whilst mimicking the internal planning of the earlier E wing.

With almost a century of housing Queensland’s’ nurses, Lady Lamington was closed to nursing staff in 1992. The towers were retrofitted and utilized as offices until 2009 whilst the remainder of the building was vacated and left dormant.  The Queensland Government signed a contract with Australian Unity in 2017 and the conservation and adaptive reuse approach to the Herston Quarter precinct commenced.

Driven by the Lady Lamington Nurses’ Home Conservation Management Plan, the principles of the Burra Charter were enacted with input from Heritage Architects representing the client, EDQ, Metro North and the design team. This collaborative approach ensured a sensitive design response that resolved the challenges of integrating modern compliance requirements into a significant Queensland building.

The adaptation reinvigorates the Lady Lamington Nurses Quarters and brings life back to a building that holds a rich history by preserving the cultural heritage significance whilst allowing for the functional requirements of the new use to remain a landmark site housing 695 students within the Herston Quarter precinct.