With an eye focused squarely on the near future, the Center for Healthy Living at Moorings Park in Naples, Fla., aims to court the next generation of residents: baby boomers who think holistically about their health and want to manage every aspect of it. And with its thoughtful interior design, the continuing care retirement community (CCRC) succeeded not only in creating a warm yet modern environment for a whole host of smart programs but also in snagging an Award of Merit in this year’s Environments for Aging Design Showcase.
“The interiors exude health and wellness,” notes one juror. “They’re consistent and supportive of the users.” Adds another: “The design is fresh—it feels upbeat with a ‘pop’! With the technology and wellness mixture, it’s a great concept and feel.”
This is just what the designers at Wegman Design Group (Naples, Fla.) were going for. Lori Wegman, firm principal, cites it as a particular point of pride: “The experience is very uplifting and positive; energetic but not frenetic,” she says.
That kind of energy can be difficult to pull off in a project like this one, where core activities—including medical care, physical therapy, fitness and exercise, spa and salon services, and education—must co-exist on the same floor. It’s also a big change from the previous setup, where exercise facilities, the clinic, therapy, and educational spaces were scattered throughout the campus.
“One of the more challenging aspects for us was to develop cohesion between the progression of very different functional spaces in the design concept and its execution,” Wegman says. “For example, careful thought went into the start and stop of finish materials on all vertical and horizontal surfaces, and how to properly handle the transitions between areas to create an overall ambience but also distinguish the spa from the salon, the salon from the clinic, and so on, without using too many doors. We employed many different types of screening, devised carefully detailed transitions, and used the floor and ceiling planes/lighting.”
The whole place is tech-savvy, another way in which the center hopes to entice the incoming boomer population. It includes tablet-friendly social spaces; an Internet café; high-tech diagnostic and fitness equipment; and a seriously decked-out theater for presentations, performances, and movies. The extent of the spa offerings, and the accompanying aesthetics of the area, also stood out to the jury as a welcome addition for a senior environment. A portion of the center’s space was intentionally left un-built to allow for future programming.
Today, the average age of Moorings Park’s largely affluent clientele is 82. And while the current age of residents entering the facility is between 77 and 79, Steve Brinkert, vice president of resident services for Moorings Park, fully expects that trend to skew younger over the next five-10 years. According to our jury, which affirms that the “innovative and beautiful” space is clearly “based on residents’ current and future needs,” the CCRC is well poised for the transition.
