Projects
Patriots Colony – Presidents Pavilion Hybrid Homes
Williamsburg, VA
Presidents Pavilion, a three-building hybrid homes™ apartment complex, is the first phase of a multi-year independent living expansion. Each building is five stories tall with covered parking as the first story. The hybrid homes incorporate a traditional brick-accented exterior to blend seamlessly into Patriots Colony’s stately Colonial Williamsburg architecture. Three distinct layouts for the 60 individual residences feature open floor plans, a master suite with a walk-in closet, full-size washer and dryers, patios and covered balconies.
Renovations to the community center focused on dining updates to provide a contemporary experience and accommodate additional residents. Casual dining, including a bistro with display kitchen and pub, were expanded and formal full-service dining received a more intimate restaurant space. An outdoor patio area was expanded to provide for al fresco dining and incorporated a new pavilion, fire pit and outdoor grilling area.
Learn More About Hybrid Homes
Photo Credit: Nathan Cox Photography
Brandermill Woods
Midlothian, VA
The 2011 master plan included renovation and additions to the Clubhouse at Brandermill Woods which allowed the community to enhance their independent living common areas by offering additional amenities that appeal to the incoming Baby Boomers and their families. No longer will a single dining venue, chapel, and stereotypical shuffleboard court be considered enough to sustain and entertain residents. Instead, the new Clubhouse amenities include a theater, party room, game room, formal dining, club room, four-season room, private dining, bistro, multi-purpose space, chapel, fitness room, aerobics room, clinic, pool, terrace dining, private garden, and greenhouse and extensive spaces meant to both support the current cottage and apartment residents and also entice future residents to choose Brandermill Woods as their home. At the same time, 93 new independent living apartments were built adjacent to the new Clubhouse offering residents additional housing options with direct access to the clubhouse.
Photo credit: Nathan Cox Photography
Water Street Mission
Lancaster, PA
This 7-day complete kitchen and dining area makeover provided both functional and aesthetic improvements for more efficient operations and a better dining experience for guests. This project provided the mission with working, energy-efficient equipment and layout improvements for food preparation workflow and dining room services. Updated interior finishes and furnishings provide a more appealing environment utilizing lower maintenance, economical materials.
Photo Credit: J. Eldon Zimmerman
Waldner Performing Arts & Humanities Center, York College of Pennsylvania
York, PA
A former gymnasium, natatorium and classroom facilities were renovated and expanded. The main element of the new Performing Arts Center is a 750-seat theater with stage and full fly loft. The building includes a second “black box” performance space, as well as classrooms below the theater at a basement level. Back of house spaces include a green room, changing rooms, a scenery shop and storage areas. The adjacent former gymnasium structure was renovated into classrooms, offices and support spaces to form the Humanities Center which includes 26 classrooms, large group instruction area, learning resource area and café.
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography
Little Run Lodge and Dormitory, York College of Pennsylvania
York, PA
Suite-Style Student Housing and Support Spaces for 1,000-bed+ West Campus Housing Complex
The Little Run complex completes the West Campus housing master plan with construction of additional student housing and student services. Little Run is a 154,480 square foot, five-story building offering three, four and five-person suites designed to house 360 students. Each suite includes a kitchenette with mini refrigerator and microwave, living room with soft seating and an end table, and bathroom with shower.
Little Run Lodge is designed to provide services for the entire West Campus Community including a dining hall with multiple venues and a production kitchen. Other support spaces include a mail room, lounge and game room spaces, meeting rooms, banquet space and a “grab and go” convenience store.
The architectural character reflects the dominant aesthetic of the overall campus, while slightly varying each of the student housing buildings for individuality. The buildings are designed in a contemporary style while using the common campus palette of red brick, precast and terne-metal stainless steel roofs and trims.
“We have worked with RLPS on numerous projects over the past 29 years. Our longstanding relationship is based on the firm’s respect for our goals and commitment to deliver the best possible product in each given circumstance.”
Dr. Ken Martin, Dean of Campus Operations, York College of Pennsylvania
Photo Credit: Nathan Cox Photography
Fellowship Village
Basking Ridge, NJ
Through renovations and a modest addition, we enlarged and refurbished the former cafeteria-style café and formal dining rooms to form distinct identities for a Village Bistro, Grand Terrace, Fireside Dining, and the newly created Atrium dining room. Shoji-style sliding wooden doors were introduced to help separate and create distinct identities between the diverse dining spaces while providing flexibility to open up the spaces for functions requiring seating for a large group. The former café is now a bistro which includes a pizza oven, coffee bar/bake shop and mini-grocery. The project also involved interior updates to the private dining room and the pre-dining lounge.
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography
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
Meadowood Senior Living
Worcester, PA
The first step in implementing a campus-wide master plan was updating first impression spaces in the community center. A porte cochere was added outside, while inside the main lobby the focus has been redirected to social areas with the receptionist desk reconfigured as a concierge-style gesture. The café was reconfigured to create a distinctive bistro experience. The library was re-envisioned as a club room to better support the adjacent multi-purpose room. Stairs leading to lower level activity areas were opened up to draw attention to those spaces where finishes and furnishings were updated to maintain a consistent design aesthetic.
The second phase involved creating new venues and breaking down the scale of the dining experiences, as well as expanding and improving wellness venues. Outdoor connections and sustainable strategies are seamlessly integrated into the design solutions. The underutilized courtyard was transformed into a new campus amenity to create engaging outdoor event spaces to complement and enhance the dining and wellness updates.
Award: Environments for Aging Remodel/Renovation Competition, Finalist
Photo Credit (afters): Larry Lefever Photography and Nathan Cox Photography
Learn more about Wellness
Charlestown Community
Catonsville, MD
Designed to capture the spirit of a downtown marketplace, this renovated 4,100 square foot café space features a large A-frame roof with 17-foot ceilings. Features include display cooking stations, a bar/lounge and patio dining space. Exposed red brick walls with high window sills pay homage to nearby Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The project doubled the capacity to 96 people with a variety of seating options.
Awards: Environments for Aging Remodel/Renovation Competition Winner
Photo Credit: Nathan Cox Photography
Garden Spot Village
New Holland, PA
Community center updates began with reinventing the former café into a restaurant-style atmosphere that reflects a new attitude toward the dining experience. The behind-the-scenes serving lines were replaced with new food stations, open to dining areas. The second phase of renovations resulted in an updated entry experience and inviting activity areas. This included reinventing the main lobby and reception desk, general store renovations to add a coffee shop and converting previously underutilized parlor in to a theater.
Awards: Awards of Merit, Environments for Aging Design Showcase, AIA/LeadingAge Design for Aging Review, Remodel/Renovation Competition Finalist
Photo Credit: Nathan Cox Photography & Jeremy Hess Photography