Bruce Hurowitz, Assoc. AIA, principal, Merlino Design Partnership (MDP; Gulph Mills, Pa.)
Joining MDP in 1988, Bruce Hurowitz has since played a key role in not just the firm’s success but in guiding its commitment to senior living design.
Over the years, he’s cultivated a passion for improving environments for aging, with a keen eye on the spaces that matter most in creating vibrant, engaging communities that bring residents together and help them thrive. Specifically, Hurowitz has focused on hospitality-inspired dining experiences that break down the institutional walls of old and replaces them with smaller-scale, flexible destinations.
Meanwhile, he’s adopted a design practice that embraces wellness initiatives on every project, delivering amenity spaces that support activity and connectedness. Recent efforts include award-winning project The Vista, a Christian Health community in Wyckoff, N.J., as well as ongoing work with client RiverSpring Living, which credit’s Hurowitz for guiding innovative approaches to everything from the gut renovation of a skilled nursing unit into an assisted living/memory care community to the introduction of a new Low Vision Center.
He’s known for his assessment of worthwhile capital investments and long-term financial implications against operational, safety, and consumer preferences to ensure industry evolution is ongoing.
As one of our 2022 Design Champions, Hurowitz shared some insight on his career and the senior living design industry in this Q+A with Environments for Aging.
EFA: Why did senior living become an area of business focus and personal passion for you?
Bruce Hurowitz: When I joined Merlino Design Partnership in 1988, the firm was working in the healthcare sector, including hospital projects and early iterations of continuing care retirement communities. These environments were so clinical at the time, and I knew there was an opportunity with the aging population to make these spaces better. I saw the need for them to be more residential in nature, more welcoming and comfortable. My close relationship with my grandparents also influenced me. I could see how limited their options were, and that ignited my passion as well. The firm introduced me to the world of senior living, and I embraced the challenge to help push the industry forward with inspired designs.
What originally drew you to rethinking the dining experience?
The firm was doing a lot of renovation work after the 1993 recession, and the first thing I always noticed as we toured the communities was the dining experience. It was so institutional, just one big room with no ambience, no variety, and it was so uninspiring. People were just being fed—a flow of residents in and out with no real experience. There was so much room for improvement and innovation in dining across all levels of care. It was a part of every project and really grabbed my interest. I just kept digging deeper into what could make each experience better.
In the beginning, it was about breaking down the scale of the large, cavernous spaces into smaller, more intimate, and uniquely different venues. This supported the industry’s commitment to providing more choices for seniors. Residents could continue to enjoy a formal option in a fine-dining setting or select a more casual venue like a pub or coffee shop experience.
I encouraged our team to explore the entertainment aspect of dining with “center stage” designs—integrating the kitchen into the dining room like a stage, so residents can enjoy the culinary performance of chefs preparing meals while they dine. I had to work closely with numerous team members and consultants to carefully consider how to achieve this from a design and operations perspective. This required a lot of logistics and coordination, including working through numerous codes and acoustic challenges to bring cooking into the heart of the dining room. Another option that I enjoyed exploring was creating chef table experiences in the heart of the kitchen amidst all the food prep action.
As dining program structures began to evolve, we continued to play with unique concepts, such as smaller venues and flexible uses. I like finding ways to make spaces adaptable so rooms don’t sit empty and can be used in ways to benefit the residents.
One example is designing a space to support a teaching kitchen but making it easy to change into a pop-up destination restaurant. The problem-solving of transformation with movable furniture and carefully considered millwork details is what really excites me. It’s also gratifying playing with time-of-day transformations, such as a venue that functions as a lively café by day and then a sophisticated bar by night.
Lighting plays a key role in these design challenges. I have always seen dining as an important aspect of resident life, and I am so glad this experience continues to be prioritized. Provider and developer investments in dining programs and the spaces to support them allow me and my team to dig deeper. I relish the opportunities available now to thoughtfully brand each space.
Currently, micro-venue concepts have my attention. I encourage my team to discuss the operational benefits with providers and show them how this concept can take the resident dining experience to the next level. The satisfaction is translating all the dining options I enjoy myself—like pop-up experiences, food trucks, and farm-to-table selections—into senior living environments.
I am also fascinated by the technology integrated to support successful operations. Our team understands how much staffing is impacting communities and being able to provide unique solutions that improve the experience for residents and staff is gratifying.
The same goes for integrating wellness opportunities into design. How do you define spaces that provide seniors with wellness in their daily living?
Being part of the design evolution in senior living has been so gratifying, and it goes back to my original passion and commitment to raising the bar on design for senior environments. Just as the industry has prioritized the importance of the dining experience, it’s good to see providers committed to supporting multiple dimensions of resident wellness.
I am particularly proud of the work we’ve done at The Vista, where we were able to truly explore design solutions that support holistic wellness and put those wellness components front and center. From fitness centers, spas, dining venues and auditoriums for cultural events to classrooms, courtyards and meditation gardens, we have the opportunity to create so many interesting spaces that add color, energy, and vibrancy to resident life.
It’s exciting to play a role in the changing perception of senior living, a mindset of providing environments that support full, active, healthy lives.
You’ve played a key role in the evolution of RiverSpring Living over the past two decades. What stands out to you most?
I am so proud of the connection I made and nurtured with RiverSpring Living. What stands out to me the most is that every project has been 100 percent renovation work. I’ve helped them transform their campus one building at a time. When I started working with them, they had over 900 skilled nursing beds.
Over the years, we’ve helped them relocate and reclassify beds to address numerous care needs. One project of note was recently converting a skilled nursing floor into a first-of-its-kind Low Vision Center. This project included a lot of technology and special lighting systems as well as careful consideration of contrasting finishes and wayfinding. I was very conscious of all the selections and details, such as motion sensors and pathway lighting. For example, when residents get out of bed, there are fibers in the carpet that light up to create a runway to the bathroom.
With each project, their leadership is willing to listen to my guidance while also challenging me to push the envelope. With all the continuing education and research we do and the collective knowledge I have gained after years of experience, it’s exciting to have a client who is receptive to trying new things and integrating the latest and greatest products.
Years ago, I noted that they didn’t have an all-day food venue and that led to the introduction of the River Café. It’s proved to be a successful space for them, one that has continued to grow over time.
Our team has also worked in their Riverwalk independent living building since 2000. In the beginning, I encouraged them to invest in more communal amenity spaces. They had minimal lobby space and a community room and an underutilized basement at the time. I helped reallocate and repurpose space to elevate the resident experience. Now I’m back, infusing a hospitality appeal that speaks to today’s market standards.
RiverSpring Living’s commitment to innovation includes applying for grants to support their endeavors. This is the case with one of the current projects I’m leading, a new rehab center. The center features outdoor spaces, an oversized gym, a hospitality center, fine dining, and a business center.
We have learned a lot about the cutting-edge ZeroG system being incorporated into the gym, from the details needed to support the installation to the space planning required to organize the other equipment around it for a seamless therapy experience.
What’s your advice for identifying where savings can be had versus the project elements that are simply good investments?
Part of being creative is knowing how to accomplish different design details for less. We often explore different techniques or materials to deliver the look we want at the right price point. It’s also our responsibility to advocate for our clients and tell them when something is worth the investment.
Sometimes that means phasing construction so they can integrate an important element when the funds are available. As designers, we are hired for our creativity, but we are also client advocates and stewards of their money, so we need to spend wisely for them.
How do you stay on top of new trends and approach innovation?
I am curious and continuously learning. And I challenge my team to explore ideas and make new connections. There are always new products, finishes, and technologies to dig into. We can learn from vendors and specialists, conduct research, take tours, and create mock-ups. It’s important for our career development and for our clients to continue to expand our collective knowledge base.
Where do you hope to see senior living go next?
For so long we have seen self-contained communities that are recreated resort worlds with everything residents need beyond the gated entrance. We’ve been seeing more interest in urban infill and localized projects. That’s what I hope we continue to work on, senior living stitched into local communities.
Instead of isolation in beautiful destination communities, we need to continue to create deeper connections to the greater community—and not just in urban areas. I hope to see all types of towns and neighborhoods provide opportunities to keep their long-time community members close to home and active in the areas they know and love.
This will influence commons areas and amenities, as well as resident interactions with local businesses and services. This is how we accomplish true intergenerational living and open the doors for more inspired design solutions.
