Projects
Willow Valley – The Vistas at Providence Park
Lancaster, PA
Willow Valley challenged the design team to envision an upscale apartment model that would reflect the community’s high standards for sophisticated spaces that would appeal to active adults. Supportive design was not to be obtained at the expense of a gracious sense of vitality.
The five-story apartment community occupies a prime hilltop location allowing for underground parking as well as commanding views toward the city of Lancaster on one side and surrounding farmland on the other side. The 53 luxury residences are spacious, light-filled apartment homes featuring oversized windows, fireplaces and built-in casework. Generous spaces for gathering and entertaining include a 360 degree rooftop terrace, dining room, library, community meeting rooms and a catering kitchen for residents to use for private parties.
Award: Senior Housing News, Architectural Design Awards, Independent Living Category Winner
Photo Credit: Nathan Cox Photography
Masonic Village at Lafayette Hill
Lafayette, Hill, PA
Renovations included updating the building’s original façade and adding a pergola for a more inviting entry experience and contemporary aesthetic for a consistent exterior vernacular for the community. The 96,000-square-foot addition resulted in 60 new apartment homes, bringing the total number of residences on the campus to 158.
Awards: Publication in Environments for Aging Design Showcase
Photography credit: 2015 Gregory Benson
Martins Run
Media, PA
To address the common challenges of aging stock and increasing vacancies, this provider chose to incrementally reinvent its apartments. Pocket doors, low-E windows and a myriad of other design details make the “not-so-big” units more appealing, senior-friendly and energy efficient. Exterior vertical mechanical units replace existing wall console units to allow for four-panel patio doors for more light and outdoor views. Removing interior walls from the galley kitchen creates an open floor plan that belies the small unit sizes. Although no new square footage was added, the transformation crates spacious, well-conceived residences that have been an unparalleled marketing success.
Awards: Exhibition and Publication in the AIA/LeadingAge Design for Aging Review
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
Arbor Acres Houses on Bayberry
Winston-Salem, NC
New pocket neighborhoods of up to five cottage clusters responds to the need for moderately sized, higher density homes. These replacement senior living residences are being inserted near the center of the campus over several phases of construction.
Creating Garden-Focused Pocket Homes
The project celebrates the community’s courtyard gardens with a new interpretation of building placement and wraparound porches that expand a sense of ownership while providing community connectivity. The garden space between the buildings gives the structures a sense of freedom and independence while deep porches and a system of covered walkways offer residents a safe, weather-protected connection to the common areas at the heart of the community.
The covered front porches serve as a catalyst for neighbors to connect with each other and the shared gardens encourage community among the residents living around them. Each Bayberry cluster features its own color palette and small-scale garden commons to promote a sense of identity and commonality between residents.
Modestly-Sized Homes for an Affordable Price Point
Each cluster consists of two1-bedroom with den patio homes joined as a duplex and two 2-bedroom patio homes. The homes reflect a high level of thoughtfulness and detailing in a relatively small square footage at a modest price point. Aimed at residents who require less space, but prefer living in a house rather than an apartment, the Houses on Bayberry feature efficient, marketable floor plans.
The one and two-bedroom units are approximately 1,000 SF and 1,100 SF respectively and are designed to provide an economical independent housing option. Despite their small size, the houses deliver handicap accessibility, sheltering porches, adjacent parking, cathedral ceilings with dormer lighting, shared garden spaces and covered connections to common areas. It all works to promote a sense of community.
Virtually every provider strives to provide affordable, low-cost housing options for their constituents. Few are able to achieve this goal without sacrificing aesthetics. This project achieved the owner’s affordability goals without compromising design integrity. Despite their small size and affordability, the Houses on Bayberry deliver handicap accessibility, sheltering porches, adjacent parking, walk-in closets, cathedral ceilings generously lit from above with dormer skylights and covered connections to common areas. The Bayberry house clusters are arranged to create small-scale public spaces or garden commons fostering a sense of community and outdoor connections.
Awards: Exhibition and Publication in the AIA/LeadingAge Design for Aging Review
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography
The Townhomes on Hendericks Place at Moravian Manor
Lititz, PA
This neighborhood of 12 upscale townhomes configured around a central green, was designed so residents can live on the first floor, with the second floor functioning as a bonus area. All homes include a den and rear-loaded two-car garage, as well as the option for a residential elevator. Located on a 3.5 acre infill site in downtown Lititz, the townhomes are in close proximity to the Main Street shops and restaurants, nearby recreation facilities, parks and other amenities.
Awards: Citation Award for AIA/LeadingAge Design for Aging Review
Photo Credit: Larry Lefever Photography