Projects
The Village at Gainesville – SantaFe Senior Living
Gainesville, FL
Located in Florida, The Village at Gainesville is a senior living community looking to plan for their future. They offer a choice of senior living residences as well as assisted living and memory care. Master planning goals included adding 100+ independent living residences in multiple phases, replacing small apartment units and consolidating memory care into a new state of the art assisted living and assisted living memory care building. It was also important to work around legacy trees and preserved land as the master plan developed.
Stakeholder Engagement in Master Planning
Current residents, prospective residents, board members, and The Village at Gainesville leadership participated in a mix of in person focus groups and online surveys that provided valuable input regarding the future of the community. Several reoccurring themes impacted master planning such as respect for the campus’s natural surroundings, opportunities to strengthen the campus culture, wanting stronger connections with both a nearby college and a university, and the desire for more on-campus services.
Master Plan Results
The final plan takes a phased approach that expands the housing and amenities on campus and creates new assisted living and assisted living memory care residences while maintaining the natural beauty and outdoor character of the existing community.
Masonic Village – Freemasons Building
Elizabethtown, PA
The goal for this update project was to create an assisted living / personal care residence that looks like any other apartment building rather than a senior care facility. We took our cues from hospitality venues for gracious, contemporary spaces that emphasize color, texture and variety for inviting, visually appealing spaces. Renovations to this occupied building encompassed updates to the lobby, corridors, dining and activity areas as well as individual living spaces, bathrooms and kitchens.
Photo Credit: Nathan Cox Photography
The Lofts at Village on the Isle
Venice, FL
Master planning resulted in a multi-phased update process, with some buildings to be replaced and others reinvented over the course of several years. This began with the conversion of the 80,000 square foot Mark Manor assisted living residence into The Lofts updated households.
The former Mark Manor building had a sturdy concrete structure that was in good condition and well suited to the Florida climate. This client made the fiscally-responsible decision to work with the “good bones” and reinvent each floor to create person-centered households. The overall census dropped from 90 beds to 64 suites, 16 on the second floor for residents with dementia and 48 on three other floors for assisted living.
Façade Updates
The dramatic changes to the building are immediately apparent with the revitalized exterior façade, updated to be compatible with new construction on campus. A variety of window types and sizes, stucco color placement to define masses, and smaller details such as railings and brackets combine to accomplish a visually appealing and renewed building on campus. Clear, insulated impact glass replaced the former pink tinted windows and hurricane shutters.
Avoiding Multiple Moves for Residents with Dementia
Despite the added challenges associated with vertical mechanical and plumbing infrastructure when renovating a middle floor, the owner decided to start on the second floor so residents with dementia would not have to move multiple times. Updates were carefully implemented to maintain utilities on other floors while replacing plumbing stacks and upgrading mechanical systems in the renovated spaces.
Due to the eight-foot floor to ceiling height, every bulkhead is functional to maintain as much height as possible while introducing outside air through a new mechanical system. The wood ceiling system conceals mechanical and existing structural components and simulates greater ceiling height.
Creating Households
Each floor was reconfigured to provide larger, private suites, along with expanded common household spaces. Several resident units on each floor were eliminated to gain much needed neighborhood living/dining space. A new great room was introduced for each household and larger exterior windows were configured within the building façade to increase natural light and outdoor views.
The nurse station was replaced with a full kitchen in the dining area of the great room. State of the art food service equipment was integrated into custom cabinetry and lowered counters with eased edges allow residents to take part in the chef’s culinary creations. A pantry service area is provided behind the kitchen and the elevator lobby has been re-envisioned as a foyer with a front door leading into the common living spaces much like the entry experience in a private residence.
“A great example of how to successfully work with in an existing envelope with restricted ceiling heights. The new residential style open kitchen is a great addition to the renovated great room. The elimination of the old style prominent nursing station is a great step and should be emulated by others.”
Environments for Aging Remodel-Renovation Competition Finalist, Juror Comments
Photo Credit: Nathan Cox Photography (exteriors) Prion Photography (interiors)
The Osborn
Rye, NY
Multi-phased reinvention for the Osborn, beginning with an interiors master plan, encompassed individual residences and common spaces for multiple levels of care. The updates helped this provider transform outdated interiors and facilities, increase occupancy and resident satisfaction, and ultimately improve their financial standing.
Multi-phased Incremental Updates
Incremental updates to resident apartments in multiple buildings focused primarily on updating kitchen and bathroom spaces to meet consumer expectations and improve accessibility. Recognizing a growing need, the Osborn converted seven one bedroom apartments on the lower level of one of its buildings into a dedicated assisted living memory care neighborhood. Likewise, two smaller apartment units were combined to create a new upscale beauty shop requested by residents. Incremental improvements to dining venues, wellness areas, lobbies, corridors and other common areas have continued as part of the ongoing updates to provide contemporary appeal while maintaining the attention to detail and style befitting this historic community which originally opened in 1908.
Helping to Improve Financial Position
The updated interiors attracted new residents into previously hard-to-market spaces, which in turn enabled the provider to substantially increase occupancy and led to a more attractive investment grade rating. The better investment grade rating generated lower interest rates and substantial savings. The interest expense savings increased the provider’s debt capacity and provided the opportunity to issue new debt to finance additional renovation and repositioning projects.
Photo Credit: Nathan Cox Photography
Samaritan Summit Village
Watertown, NY
This non-profit medical provider was awarded a Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers, or HEAL, NY grant to build a new 288-bed facility to provide nursing care and assisted living. The building layout for the 168-bed skilled nursing center allows visitors and staff to directly access any neighborhood without walking through other units. Resident social spaces, including living rooms, activity rooms, parlors and dining rooms, are connected and open to the corridor. Resident rooms are designed to accommodate dining and allow for social interactions with other residents, staff and visitors. The commons building includes a multi-purpose room, gift shop, cafe, meditation room, beauty salon, medical clinic and a physical therapy suite.
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography
Arbor Acres
Winston-Salem, NC
This addition clusters 12 private rooms for residents with dementia around a central, naturally-lit atrium. Serving as the activity hub for the entire memory care household, the atrium is separated from the corridor by half-wall partitions to provide privacy for the surrounding rooms while encouraging resident observation and participation in daily activities. A new sunroom provides the option of a smaller scale common space. Oversized widow seats along the corridor leading into the addition provide another inviting, casual space for residents and family members to enjoy.
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography
The Sylvestery at Vinson Hall
McLean, VA
This freestanding memory support residence is designed to reinforce the owner’s “Free to Be” program, promoting resident freedom and choice in a safe and pleasant environment. The 36 resident rooms are positioned around four internal gardens, each with a distinct character and function. Single-loaded corridors offer visual and physical access to the four uniquely designed courtyards while providing a bright, naturally-lit residence with no barriers to the outdoors.
Awards: AIA/LeadingAge Design for Aging Review; Order of Excellence Award by Contemporary Long Term Care Magazine
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography
The Village at Waveny Care Center
New Canaan, CT
This innovative memory care center includes 53 assisted living studio units and space for a 40-person adult daycare program. The residents and daycare participants co-mingle in an active program area called “Main Street.” Reminiscent of old fashioned downtown New Canaan, the sky-lit Main Street is simulated by one and two story brick facades which face each other and house program spaces such as a beauty/barber shop, bakery, ice cream parlor, general store, and dining piazza. The Village has been featured in the New York Times, CNN and CBS.
Awards: Merit Award, Exhibition and Publication in AIA/LeadingAge Design for Aging Review, Order of Excellence Award by Contemporary Long Term Care Magazine
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography
The Osborn H.O.P.E. Center
Rye, NY
Recognizing a growing need, the Osborn converted seven existing one-bedroom apartments into a 13-room assisted living memory care neighborhood. The neighborhood provides residents with various forms of dementia the freedom to move safely throughout the wing and secure courtyard. The intentionally modest-sized household has its own front door and provides ample activity space, including a great room with country-style serving kitchen, fireplace, sitting areas and dining space. Working within the constraints of the existing wing, the design solution “opens up” the center of the neighborhood with the great room spaces to break down the scale and bring in natural light. The addition of a four season sunroom, overlooking an existing perennial garden, provides secure access to the outdoors.
Award: Merit Award for Best Stand-Alone Memory Care, Senior Housing News
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography
Presbyterіan Homes, The Moorings
Arlington Heights, IL
An existing sheltered care building will be torn down and replaced with a new residence for people with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Currently people with dementia are housed with other skilled nursing residents. The new residence, connected to the assisted living building, is designed to provide homelike living spaces that allow for more freedom and independence. The new 29,172 square foot building is a single story residence with a basement, and has 20 individual suites. Each suite includes a bay with a window seat. Dining, living and activity spaces are on the opposite site of the building so that spaces are flooded with daylight and overlook the center courtyard space for residents to access freely. A quiet room, parlor and support spaces are discreetly located away from the active living spaces in the core of the building. An existing sheltered care building will be torn down and replaced with a new residence for people with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Currently people with dementia are housed with other skilled nursing residents. The new residence, connected to the assisted living building, is designed to provide homelike living spaces that allow for more freedom and independence. The new 29,172 square foot building is a single story residence with a basement, and has 20 individual suites. Each suite includes a bay with a window seat. Dining, living and activity spaces are on the opposite site of the building so that spaces are flooded with daylight and overlook the center courtyard space for residents to access freely. A quiet room, parlor and support spaces are discreetly located away from the active living spaces in the core of the building.
Awards: Publication in Environments for Aging Design Showcase