Senior living campuses and individual providers across the country are faced with growing pressure from changing care models, market competition, declining building stock, and regulatory requirements to update existing environments, many of which are more than 50 years old. Each year, the Environments for Aging Remodel/ Renovation competition provides a forum for providers to showcase renovation projects and to learn from peer endeavors.
This year’s category was “destination spaces,” which can include many different areas, all with the intent of creating an experience: one that promotes socialization, engagement, and a sense of community. The most successful spaces are those that not only address changes to the physical environment, but incorporate operational and programmatic changes as well. The projects submitted covered all phases of the older adult continuum of care, with a focus on the resident’s experience of the space. Following are some of the trends we observed through the submissions.
Dining. Mealtime is no longer about serving residents in the quickest and most efficient way: Dining is evolving into an event rather than a mundane task, a part of the day that offers a variety of activities and stimulation, to be anticipated and enjoyed. Some of the top designs highlight a new sense of “dining in community”—an experience that includes socializing and people-watching, having drinks with friends, connecting with the dining staff, and enjoying restaurant-style interiors with outdoor views.
Activity and wellness spaces. Activity and wellness spaces are also appearing more frequently, recognizing the health benefits of natural light and a connection to nature, while promoting physical activity through exercise rooms and spas. The most successful submissions not only provided the space and the equipment but also created programs that encourage healthy living for residents.
Indoor/outdoor. Many of the projects submitted this year show a trend toward blurring the line between indoors and outdoors, allowing daylight and nature to permeate inside the building via expansive windows and views of the natural environment. Thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces allow for both rest and recreation, encouraging resident engagement. They provide for flexibility and resident choice through the provision of seating options in sun, partial sun and shade.
Making connections. As a new trend in this year’s entries, we noted a focus on two types of connection spaces: entries and nooks. In some instances, a new entry space was created to provide a central circulation and socialization zone. In essence, this creates a heart of the building, benefitting from a variety of seating choices and options for interaction within the space, whether for socialization or individual time to read and people-watch.
Rather than isolating activity spaces, nooks off the main circulation route have been programmed with specific activities such as a library or entertainment room. This blurred barrier between spaces allows activities to be previewed while also creating a connection between residents within the space and those passing through. As a result, the residents no longer feel isolated or disconnected. Members who would normally never interact with the space now have an option to participate.
Flexibility. It’s often suggested that a community should update finishes and re-evaluate the environment to accommodate newer trends (both operational and programmatic) every 10 to 15 years to remain competitive. Over time, spaces experience what we like to call migration and evolution: Additional furniture, fixtures, or accessories slowly fill up the space and the functional purpose morphs. Each space will eventually evolve, picking up new and eclectic items, changing furniture placement and being molded by occupants on a daily basis.
The most successful projects from this year’s entries allowed for flexibility and some essence of user control. Successful designs not only create beautiful and inspired spaces but will keep in mind design features that will easily evolve to accommodate future trends. For example, to provide a flexible interior design palette, utilize aspects of the space that are easily changed or are expendable to provide color and texture such as artwork, accessories, and paint.
Watch for the upcoming Fall 2013 issue of Environments for Aging to learn more about the top 10 projects in this year’s competition. The competition winners and additional highlights from the 2013 Remodel/ Renovation Competition will be presented at the Environments for Aging Conference May 3-6,2014, in Anaheim, Calif., providing an opportunity to speak directly with the individuals involved in the projects and learn about the challenges they faced.
Andrew Lee Alden is studio director for Eppstein Uhen Architects (Milwaukee), writing on behalf of the Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments (SAGE; www.sagefederation.org). He can be reached at [email protected]. Sarah Moser is an architectural research intern for Eppstein Uhen Architects and can be reached at [email protected]
