Senior Living

For more than seven decades, RLPS Architects has helped senior living organizations plan, reposition and design communities that respond to changing consumer expectations while supporting long-term operational and financial objectives. 

As early faith-based care residences evolved into CCRCs and now Life Plan Communities, RLPS grew alongside them, building a nationally recognized senior living design practice. Today, our work spans the full spectrum of senior living—from independent living to assisted living, memory support and skilled nursing. We believe the most successful communities don’t simply respond to aging. They create opportunities for older adults to continue growing, connecting, contributing and pursuing the lives they want to lead.

In A Word

Senior Living Clients Describe RLPS

At Three Pillars Senior Living Communities, master planning explored opportunities to create a more diverse, walkable and intergenerational campus.

RLPS continually researches evolving consumer expectations and emerging independent living models to help Life Plan Communities remain competitive in a changing marketplace. The result is a diverse range of senior living housing options, from apartments, cottages and hybrid homes to pocket neighborhoods, smart homes and mixed-use models. We are also seeing growing interest in satellite communities, urban and downtown senior living, and University Retirement Communities.

Whether designing cottages, hybrid homes or apartments, RLPS focuses on creating housing options that respond to consumer expectations while reflecting each community’s vision, values and local market.

For its satellite campus, Piper Shores introduced a variety of living options. This includes single-family Estate Homes, duplex Cottage Homes, and hybrid Apartment Homes, supported by curated amenity spaces. 

How people living with dementia are perceived, engaged and supported can impact quality of life almost as much as the disease itself. The built environment can serve as a silent partner in helping people live well—supporting remaining abilities, personal choice and independence while balancing the need for safety and assistance.

Dementia-supportive design starts by seeing the person, not the diagnosis, and creating authentic environments that empower individuals, foster community and provide opportunities for meaningful experiences. Whether creating a dementia-friendly campus that supports integrated living or a specialized small house, neighborhood or village setting, thoughtful design can embed intuitive cues within the environment to support wayfinding, freedom of movement and greater independence.

The planning process for updates to LiveWell’s campus engaged people living with dementia in focus groups to define programming objectives.  The results are free-flowing indoor and outdoor spaces, accessed without the use of locked doors.

Expectations for senior living continue to evolve, with greater emphasis on engaging dining, wellness and community spaces that foster social connection, support well-being and create memorable experiences.  RLPS designs dining, wellness and community spaces that bring vitality to daily life, with new and renovated environments shaped by holistic wellness principles, changing consumer expectations and intergenerational appeal.

Reinforcing each community’s vision and values within the context of regional design patterns strengthens a sense of place. Multiple small design moments, rooted in each community’s story, provide meaning and create a stronger sense of connection for residents.

Updates and expansion to Oxford Commons at Givens Estates re-energized the community center into a more vibrant destination for dining, wellness and everyday connection.