Senior Housing and Assisted Living

Back in the fall, Suburban Alternatives Land Trust (SALT) and Northbay Family Homes (NFH) held a competition for Senior Housing Design in California that accepted applications from from all across the world that reflected SALT’s mission of assisting low-income individuals and families to secure good housing, become homeowners and improve their economic position by working with donors of land to maximize and leverage tax advantages and benefits generated in the course of developing a full array for land use options for each parcel, including affordable homes, jobs, recreation, agriculture and open space.  Finalists have been selected but all the finalists and the honorable mention entries have all been posted in the gallery.  Visit the Design Gallery for some interesting perspective on California Senior Housing Design. 

Interested in ideas on how to develop an intergenerational gardening program to engage the local community for your senior housing project?  The National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) and the MetLife Foundation recently held a symposium entitled “Creativity Matters! Symposium with Focus on Civic Engagement Building Communities Through Intergenerational Gardening” in Washington, DC on April 12, 13 and 14.  The symposium was a gathering of thought leaders who presented workshops and current programs to bridge seniors and the community through intergenerational gardening projects.  The first day of the symposium focused on how to create, develop, sustain and evaluate intergenerational programs in schools, healthcare and community settings. 

"Creative programs such as gardening give seniors the chance to pass on the wisdom and skills gained from a lifetime of experiences while remaining productive and engaged members of society," said Susan Perlstein, M.S.W., the Founder of NCCA and also Director of Special Projects.

Photos Courtesy of NCCA and Ray Fitzgerald

The second day of the event was held at the United States Botanic Gardens, the oldest botanic garden in North America located near the U.S. Capitol.  Dr. Marianne Krasny, Professor and Chair of the Department of Natural Resources of Cornell University and Director of Mosaics Intergenerational Garden, was the keynote speaker and spoke about the Mosaics program and its efforts to connect youth and elders in community projects with focus on the program’s work with urban gardens in New York City.  Sessions continued into the afternoon and discussed best practices from across the country on how to create communities and promote the added benefits of health through these garden projects.  The afternoon sessions examined initiatives from the Denver Urban Gardens and the The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens.  On the final day of the symposium, participants visited community gardens throughout Washington, DC that included Common Good City Farm, an urban farm and education center which grows food for low-income residents in the District and Meridian Hill Park.

For more information on the Symposium, visit the NCCA’s Gardening Symposium

It’s always interesting to see some designs from university students interpreting senior housing and living from their perspective. The vision designed by students Benjhamin Callam and Joseph Littrell of the University of Pennsylvania is to support the surrounding community with just as much importance as the medical advances that support the individual.  The design takes modular design to a whole new level.  Check out Aging in Place(s) – Dynamic Architetcure for Retirement Homes

Findings from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey for the fourth quarter of 2009, which focused specifically on kitchen and bathrooms, shows that design of kitchens and bathrooms has been more modest recently and favor function and efficiency.  The study shows that consumers are placing higher priority on products that are energy efficient and designs that provide access for seniors and environments that are adaptable.

“The general consensus is that homes will continue to be smaller on average than they were in the past decade,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “But since kitchens remain the nerve center of the home, doing more with less space is a key consideration. Integrating kitchens with family space remains a design priority, as does including areas devoted to recycling, pantries, computer workstations, and spaces devoted to recharging laptops, cell phones and PDAs.”

Baker added, “Homeowners are moving away from glitzy features such as steam showers and towel warming drawers/racks, and instead looking for water-saving toilets, radiant heated flooring and LED lighting options to manage utility costs.”

Lenity Group, a new senior senior-housing planning and design firm, recently celebrated its launch.  Principals, Kristin Newland, Marcus Hite, and Dan Roach, AIA took the helm after Cliff Curry retired in December from his role as President of Curry Architecture.  Curry Architecture, founded 30 years ago, worked together with partners such as Holiday Retirement and Colson & Colson General Contractor, Inc and was responsible for launching over 300 senior housing facilities throughout the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.

The Salem, Oregon based group employs 15 staff including architects, a professional engineer, draftspersons, land use and permit specialists, a senior title officer, construction administrators, and support staff.

“The skill set, experience, and longevity of our team in the senior living industry allows us to move through the details with agility. From initial negations through construction, the process is completely streamlined. Our 30-year industry partnerships make it possible to offer comprehensive services with very competitive pricing for our clients.” Kristin Newland, Principal.

Dahlin Group Architecture Planning is celebrating its recent recognition for senior housing design with the receipt of a SAGE (Senior Achievement and General Excellence) Award from the 50+ Housing Council of the Building Industry Association of Southern California.

Dahlin Group received a top honor for the "on the boards" category for Magnolia Courts, an active adult community in La Verne, California that is planned for a September opening. Magnolia Courts includes 101 Craftsman style condominiums in a setting of courtyards, open space and clubhouse amenities.  Designed for Hsientein La Verne Investment, LLC, the project was designed with close consultation with the City of LaVerne, CalTrans and other governmental entities for the 3.28-acre infill site.

 
"Magnolia Court reflects the growing importance of the active adult market, infill development and greener, more sustainable design and planning," said John Thatch, Dahlin Group Principal of Design. "We are delighted to see it honored in such a competitive arena as the SAGE program, which fielded a record number of entries for its 2009 program."

Faulkner Design Group announced that it has been retained to provide the interior design and planning for Arbor Oaks at Crestview in Bryan, Texas.  Methodist Retirement Communities is investing more than $50 million in the expansion of the current campus of Arbor Oaks at Crestview.  The first phase of the development, slated to open in summer of 2011, will include assisted living residences, skilled nursing accommodations and memory support suites.  Phase II, opening summer 2012, will consist of independent living apartments.  Faulkner will work with developer Greystone Communities and the architecture team at Perkins + Will (Dallas office).

“We are excited to be part of the Arbor Oaks at Crestview project team,” said Adrienne Faulkner, CEO, Faulkner Design Group.  “This will be a great opportunity for our seasoned senior living group to bring their design experience to Bryan, Texas, and we are pleased to be working with Methodist Retirement Communities.”

Dallas-based Faulkner Design Group, an integrated interior architecture and design firm with a specialty in senior housing interior design, announced that it has been retained to provide the interior design and planning for the expansion of Westminster Manor in Austin, Texas.  Westminster Manor, a senior living provider in Austin with more than 40 years experience, celebrated its expansion with a groundbreaking ceremony on February 2. Construction on this $100 million dollar expansion is slated to begin in February with occupancy planned for 2012.

The 9.3-acre campus will include 75 new one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes, a new Health Care Center and new community areas.  Westminster Manor has nearby access to Seton hospital, Austin restaurants and educational and cultural offerings at the The University of Texas.  Perkins + Will, an international design firm, is serving as architects for the 332,750 square feet expansion to Westminster Manor.

“We could not be more pleased to be to be part of the design team for the expansion of the community,” said Adrienne Faulkner, CEO, Faulkner Design Group.  “Our senior living team has worked on projects all over the U.S. and we are excited to showcase our design techniques in our home state’s capital.”

The new Health Care Center, which will be named The Arbour at Westminster Manor, will feature 55 skilled nursing rooms with the latest medical advancements to meet senior health needs.  Additionally, 22 assisted living apartments and 30 skilled nursing suites with a focus on memory support are included in Westminster Manor’s expansion plans.  New residences will range from 845+ square feet for one-bedroom/one- bedroom with den, to 1,120 to 1,300 square feet for two-bedroom, and 1,464 to 1,672 square feet for three-bedroom apartment homes. 

St. Louis-area-based Paric is set to begin a $4.6 million renovation project of an existing skilled nursing facility at the Village of St. Mary’s “Villa Theresa” Continuum of Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in O’Fallon, Missouri. The 51,000-square-foot skilled nursing facility renovation is expected to begin in February, with an estimated 10-month timeline for completion. Phase II of the housing development project, which includes renovation of approximately 21,000 square feet of existing space into 15 affordable apartment units for seniors began in October. Phase I was completed in September.  The project is a joint venture between The Sisters of the Most Precious Blood and McEagle Properties, LLC and The Lawrence Group serving as the architect.

McArthur Home, a 20-unit low-income elderly housing residential facility located in Biddeford, Maine, announced that it has reached capacity in less than 3 months since it was opened.  The new 3-story, 23,000 sq. ft., wood-framed structure was developed on a previously contaminated, distressed, downtown site.  The apartments range in size from 625 to 660 sq. ft. each  and features efficient plumbing fixtures and heating system, solar domestic hot water, energy-efficient windows and building envelope, private porches, and energy star lighting with sensors.  Gawron Turgeon Architects was contracted initially by the McArthur Home to provide site analysis and feasibility services, then continued the full design of the project.

“Over the past year we have worked very closely with the Gawron staff.  They have been responsive, responsible, innovative, and attentive to our needs,” said McArthur Home Executive Director, Dean Wolfahrt.  “We feel very fortunate to have been associated with both Gawron Turgeon and TPD Construction Co. from Sanford.

Gawron Turgeon Architects provided architecture, interior design and landscape architecture services. They also worked with Deluca Hoffman Engineers to assist the McArthur Home throughout the permitting process which included a contract zone to allow this density in a residential zone.  Lincoln/Haney provided structural engineering, Bennett Engineering provided mechanical / electrical plumbing engineering services, and TPD Construction Co. constructed the facility.