Aesthetics
Murano Senior Living, Seattle
Submitted by: Ankrom Moisan
Located next to the Frye Art Museum, Murano Senior Living’s design is inspired by art at every turn, beginning with post-modernist touches and salon-style art installations influenced by the museum itself. Interiors feature vibrant finishes and furnishings to complement both the classical and contemporary art that’s showcased throughout the project. The palette is derived from local nature, including Mt. Rainier and Puget Sound, resulting in a “color story” that’s carried across spaces to provide wayfinding and distinctions between floors. That scheme is even continued in exterior framings on the building’s windows as well as in a custom glass art piece by famous local artist Dale Chihuly that hangs in the entry lobby.
The Watermark by the Bay, Emeryville, Calif.
Submitted by: Goebel Design Group
Originally constructed in 2010 with a more institutional aesthetic, the community was acquired by Watermark Retirement Communities in 2012 and in need of an upgrade—particularly the dark entry lobby and cafeteria-style dining space. The primary project goals for the lobby, specifically, were to open it up and make it more inviting. This involved removing as many walls and barriers to natural light as feasible as well as redesigning the ceiling to eliminate lowered soffits and dropped ceilings. Columns were wrapped in wood, while a custom carpet helps manage acoustics. A palette of whites, creams, and grays brightens the space, and a custom chandelier, geometric screens, and a green wall add vibrancy. The dining space was similarly enlivened by introducing rich shades of gold, coral, and blue, while a variety of seating options, from formal to casual, lends to a restaurant aesthetic.
Experience
Wesley at Tehaleh, a shared ministry with Presbyterian Homes, Bonney Lake, Wash.
Submitted by: Cuningham
This project in progress within a new master-planned community outside Seattle leverages the natural beauty of its site and introduces lots of natural light into interiors to invigorate the resident experience. The heart of the approach is what’s called the “biophilia breezeway,” where an apartment wing and town center amenity area come together. The daylight-filled connecting point houses a gathering room and multilevel walkway with views to the surrounding site. Operable windows bring in fresh air and sounds of nearby falling water. The Pacific Northwest location inspired the building design at an aesthetic level, as well, introducing warm woods, shed roofs, wood ceilings, and warm materials consistent with the region.
Watercrest Sarasota, Sarasota, Fla.
Submitted by: HKS and Interior Design Associates Inc.
The project philosophy was to blend independent living (IL), assisted living, and memory support wherever possible. However, unique design solutions respond to the needs of individual resident populations, as well. For example, IL apartments were designed to allow aging in place with the integration of appliances like drawer dishwashers and wall-mounted ovens. Meanwhile, the Market Street for memory support is a shared indoor environment placed between the two “front porches” of the households that offers a destination for a cup of coffee while also serving as a discreet route for visitors and staff to use to reduce disturbances to the households. Market Street houses a salon, barbershop, art studio, and bakery with demonstration cooking. The memory support spaces also introduce corridors designed for “meaningful ambulation,” oriented so there are no dead ends and punctuated with display cases showcasing items to inspire conversation or serve as wayfinding.
Brewster Place Retirement Community, Topeka, Kan.
Submitted by: SFCS
This cultural arts and wellness center project serves as a physical connector on a disjointed campus as well as a multiuse amenity space that invites the greater community in. The building bridges the divided campus by spanning a community road to tie into a previously isolated independent living building. A defining arched gallery space houses dining and wellness rooms as well as a rotating art exhibit by local artists and residents. Additionally, the project includes an event space equipped to host and attract national acts, designed to provide the best acoustical experience for the aging ear, while the new dining room includes an outdoor patio with views and commercial kitchen to support daily meals as well as bites before or after performances.
Innovation
The Living Wisdom Center at Hubbard Hill, Elkhart, Ind.
Submitted by: Arkos Design Inc.
A desire to introduce biophilic design to this new memory care building inspired the project team to create an atrium where residents can engage with nature and outdoor activities. This year-round outdoor space, a central element of the memory care neighborhood, is enclosed by an open framework of steel with a glass and acrylic shell that allows residents freedom to go outside whenever they choose, sheltering them from weather and fluctuating temperatures. To maintain the feeling of being outdoors while also controlling the climate, the team introduced an environmental management system. This roof-mounted weather station monitors ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed, and precipitation, to which the system responds—for example, automating vents to open and close as conditions change. Fans circulate air during warmer months, while high-efficiency air rotation units provide additional heat when needed.
Downtown Oakland PACE Daycenter, Oakland, Calif.
Submitted by: Kava Massih Architects
When it was determined that the existing site for the Downtown Oakland PACE Daycenter limited its ability to provide participant-centered care, the decision was ultimately made to relocate to the 7,000-square-foot ground floor of the nonprofit provider organization’s administration building. The project required gutting and renovating what was once a nightclub and restaurant with blacked-out windows, cavernous interiors, and an exposed concrete structure. Working within the existing architecture, the team took inspiration from an urban loft, keeping exposed concrete columns and beams, restoring original full-height windows, and adding partial-height walls to allow daylight to permeate the space. A rear parking lot was reallocated as programming space with a semi-enclosed outdoor area that provides seating and raised planter beds. Together, these solutions helped integrate the daycenter within the urban fabric of its surrounding community while providing an asset to it, as well.
The Aspen Tree at The Forestias, Bangna, Bangkok, Thailand
Submitted by: Magnolia Quality Development Corp. Ltd.
The in-progress Aspen Tree at The Forestias set out to challenge the cultural norm in Thailand of seniors living within multigenerational households where children and grandchildren provide care over time. This new model introduces an alternative where active seniors can live independently and age in place as their need for assistance grows. The project is rooted in extensive research on seniors’ lifestyles and activities, needs, and concerns to establish a master plan for the project that provides an intimate living environment within a larger, vibrant community. It also introduces the Health and Brain Center, supporting a household model for long-term care and assisted living as well as the Center for Geriatric Excellence and an adult day center to provide specialty services for seniors throughout the region.
Operations/Well-being
Generations at Shalom Park, Charlotte, N.C.
Submitted by: RLPS Architects and CJMW Interior Design
The unbuilt Generations at Shalom Park is located in a mixed-use development home to more than a dozen Jewish organizations including two synagogues, a preschool, and library. The Generations project will fill a regional need for a Jewish continuing care retirement community while leveraging the benefits of the bustling cultural site. Physical and programmatic connections between the project and the surrounding community organizations allowed consideration of avoiding redundancies and ways to promote intergenerational interactions—for example, a modest 720-square-foot fitness center complements residents’ membership to the local community center.
Menno Haven Life Center, Chambersburg, Pa.
Submitted by: RDG Planning & Design
The new Life Center at Menno Haven Retirement Community serves as a hub for resident engagement, with programming driven by a vision for active living, social interaction, and healthy lifestyles. Serving more than 1,100 residents and community members, the building houses a salon and spa open to both residents and the greater community. A 250-seat banquet center serves as a multipurpose destination space for large gatherings, while dining areas offer outdoor seating. The space even houses a tech bar staffed by IT professionals. Additionally, the upper floor of the building consolidates most of the Menno Haven leadership team, not only improving communication and collaboration between staff but also between leaders and residents visiting the amenity spaces.
Jennifer Kovacs Silvis is editor-in-chief of Environments for Aging. She can be reached at [email protected].
