Opus Newton in Newton, Mass., offers a forward-thinking solution for addressing the middle market in senior living—a traditionally underserved sector that offers much potential moving forward.
Opened in September 2025 and strategically co-located with the affordable Coleman House and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston, the 351,500-gross-square-foot independent living community leverages existing amenities to create an inclusive, cost-effective campus.
The project, which received a top Award of Merit in the 2026 Design Showcase, was submitted to the Design Showcase by Perkins Eastman (Pittsburgh).
Part of the project’s strategy is a design that prioritizes efficiency and flexibility. The project’s 174 residences feature modest, repeating layouts to control construction costs, shifting the emphasis toward generous shared spaces. Central to this approach is the “Connector,” a flexible 2-story hub linking the new and existing buildings.
Functioning as a campus living room, it accommodates diverse programming ranging from communal dining to cultural events, encouraging interaction across the community. The hub space and its flexible design to accommodate activities from dining and game nights to auditorium-style activities impressed the jurors. “The flexibility of the dining is truly a feature and something that other providers could learn from in future efforts,” noted one juror.
Additionally, the project’s financial model includes a resident volunteer requirement to lower operating costs and foster purpose. Combining this operational strategy with high-performance design—targeting Passive House and LEED Gold standards—Opus Newton presents a replicable prototype for middle-market senior living that balances equity, sustainability, and community engagement.
Here, Perkin Eastman’s Emily Pierson-Brown, principal, senior living practice co-leader, and planning and design principal for the project; Shannon Kobistek, senior associate and lead interior designer on Opus Newton; and Scott Fitzgerald, associate principal and principal in charge for the project, talk about the flexible planning and design strategies and valuable lessons learned on this project.
Environments for Aging: What was the first step in approaching a new strategy for the middle market in senior living?
Emily Pierson-Brown: From our initial conversations with the 2Life team [Opus Newton’s operator, developer, and owner], we knew we had to approach this project differently, supporting reductions in both constructions costs and operating costs by building less space overall.
Our methodology involved designing smaller-than-average apartments that would encourage residents to flock to the gathering spaces, which we then designed to be hyper-flexible, responding to residents’ evolving needs and giving them ownership over the space.
EFA: Flexibility is often talked about in senior living but not seen to the level shown here at the Connector. What was key to bringing that element to fruition here?
Shannon Kobistek: We needed to create a first impression that was as flexible as it was beautiful. We presented six distinct modular layouts, such as “Dinner Theater” or “Dining with Bar.” The client’s immediate excitement at seeing those possibilities is what fueled our drive to make it happen.
EFA: Can you discuss how the furniture and interior elements, such as partitions, help support the goals of this space?
Kobistek: The 2-story height provides a sense of luxury, but our goal was to keep the experience “human-scale” and approachable. We used the moveable glass wall as a flexible lens—closing it to create an intimate “room within a room” or opening it to let the energy of a large event flow through the space.
By using furniture to anchor these zones, we ensured the grand architecture remains functional and cozy, regardless of the activity’s scale.
EFA: What challenges did you face adding this independent living community on an existing campus?
Pierson-Brown: Whenever we build adjacent to an existing community, there is the danger of developing an “us versus them” dichotomy between current and future residents. This was especially acute here where we were adding housing for middle-income earners to an affordable housing community.
The 2Life team was proactive in their approach with the Coleman House residents, hosting workshops and forums to ensure they were part of the design and decision-making process. We provided presentation materials in three languages (English, Russian, and Chinese) to communicate with their diverse population.
In designing the new spaces, the majority of the common space is between the two apartment buildings so that it is not “owned” by one set of living units or another.
This has been a successful strategy so far, with residents from both apartment buildings meeting together for meals and activities. But that outcome doesn’t happen without those initial conversations bringing everyone into and through the process.
Fitzgerald: From a technical standpoint, linking the buildings to create a singular cohesive community required relocating the entry drive. For a project that was predicated on using resources wisely and efficiently, it was a big decision to invest in uprooting existing infrastructure, but 2Life recognized that it was fundamental to the goals of the project.
Furthermore, the challenging, sloping site necessitated a stepped building design with connection points and entries at different levels that proved challenging both inside and out in laying out the program and providing a walkable and accessible site.
EFA: Discuss the resident apartments and how they’re designed to support an affordable, repeatable model.
Fitzgerald: The apartments constitute the vast majority of the square footage of the building and thus were a primary driver of the construction cost. The units are designed to be smaller than typical independent living residences, with an average size of 1,018 square feet, which effectively manages costs and enhances affordability.
However, with a focus on aging in community, every kitchen and full bathroom features a 5-foot turning circle, surpassing code requirements. An emphasis on open plans, larger windows, and low sills allows these smaller units to feel spacious and airy.
EFA: How did feedback and workshops with seniors, staff, and community leaders inform the project, including program adjacencies, circulation strategies, and the mix of spaces. Can you give an example?
Pierson-Brown: We began designing this project in earnest in May 2020, so the in-person workshops we had planned had to quickly pivot to online engagements. Because we were developing a completely new product type for 2Life, they invited stakeholders from their culinary, care, activities, development, and engagement teams to give their input about what the 2Life communities already do well and encouraged them to be aspirational about how Opus could be different, building on the 2Life brand.
Because the culinary program here is so unique, I think we had 15 separate meetings over the course of the design specifically focusing on the intention and flow of food service and gathering. For the main gathering spaces, our biggest challenge was the piece on Level 1 of the Connector that would literally connect the Opus building to Coleman House.
Should that be the administrative offices, reinforcing that those leaders were accessible to the whole community, or should it be fitness, emphasizing wellness and movement across the community?
Ultimately the team chose fitness and wellness, but it took several years to settle on that strategy since each path had its own merits.
EFA: This project also incorporates biophilic, Passive House, and LEED Gold design principles. What stands out to you most in those strategies?
Fitzgerald: The project was designed to Passive House standards and passed the entire building blower door test. It is also USGBC LEED Gold certifiable but was not submitted for certification.
Designing to Passive House standards established a helpful framework to deliver super-insulated, airtight construction that prioritized resident comfort and long-term affordability through reduced operating costs. Avoiding excessive jigs and jogs to the façade (corners are weak points for air sealing and add cost) allowed for simplified construction.
Biophilic design strategies, such as connection to nature and prospect and refuge, cultivate holistic wellness by creating calmer, restorative spaces to support mental and physical well-being. The use of wood paneling and trim, artwork with nature themes, and a focus on views to the natural surroundings provide tactile and visual connections to nature.
EFA: Jurors were also impressed by the outdoor areas. What inspired the planning and aesthetic here, and what are some key elements?
Pierson-Brown: Each of the outdoor spaces was a natural extension of the massing and siting of the building components. The U-shaped design of the Opus apartments was most efficient for the site and apartment layouts and also led to the large south-facing courtyard. From the beginning, this space was considered a primary gathering space for the community and a way to invite the natural landscape of the hill up into the living spaces.
The West Terrace spills out from the Connector and provides spectacular views of the sunset. The large west-facing rear wall of the Connector is a seamless transition to the outdoor space but is protected from intense sun angles by the Opus apartment wing. That wing spreads out in a gentle curve responding to the Coleman House form on the opposite side, extending and inviting in one’s view from the entry drive.
On the opposite side, the entry circle was at the appropriate elevation to enter the main floor of the Connector, and the large glass wall on that end allows you to see all the way through the building. The Connector acts as a beacon on both ends, illuminating the activity and community adorning within, while the large dark frame protects the neighboring apartments from light pollution and glare.
EFA: What’s a lesson from this project that you think stands out here?
Kobistek: We learned that the most versatile senior living spaces require a hybrid approach. The key is to find furniture that pairs the high-performance features of the commercial world—like nesting and durability—with the warmth of a hospitality aesthetic. When you solve for both, you provide the staff for ease of movement and the residents with a beautiful, homelike environment.
Anne DiNardo is editor-in-chief of Environments for Aging magazine and can be reached at [email protected].
