A 23-member jury of industry professionals, including architects, interior designers, providers, consultants, and researchers, was charged with sifting through the 59 projects submitted to this year’s Environments for Aging (EFA) Design Showcase, determining which ones made the cut to be published and which ones rose to the top and earned awards. Most importantly, they offered their unique perspectives. It’s a multidisciplinary approach that adds dimension to the judging process and provides the opportunity to recognize projects’ merits in a much richer way.
So we asked them how they approached this task from their individual spots within senior living design and what they took away from the work they reviewed. Here's what juror Maria Lopez had to say.
Interior designer
Maria Lopez, NCIDQ, AAHID
Principal, Maria Lopez Interiors (Stevenson, Md.)
As an interior designer, I really concentrated on the interior finish solutions. I was most impressed with projects where the master planning, exterior architecture, interior architecture, and interior finishes maintained a consistent aesthetic while still providing interest and variety. There were many positive elements in most projects that required considerable study of the submissions to appreciate.
I was very impressed with the overall effort made in space planning. The ability to make sense of a plan and provide connectivity to related and adjacent spaces as well as allowing an opportunity for intuitive wayfinding was an excellent starting point. Plans made an effort to include views to nature and daylighting while encouraging movement and interaction. There was openness in many submissions that encouraged residents to move through the spaces to enjoy the variety of activities or opportunities.
The attention to detail in the finish selection was very successful in many projects. The scale was residential and therefore familiar, while being suitable in actual material for particular areas, such as wood-look herringbone pattern ceramic tile in heavy-use areas and organic patterned carpet tiles where soft surfaces were appropriate. Color is used prudently as an appropriate accent and does not date the design. Natural materials, such as solid surface, are used for durability and aesthetics. Many projects incorporated lamps, artwork, and accessories to personalize the space while still allowing opportunities for residents to make it their own.
I found it a little frustrating when a project was generally well done but the finishes or furnishings did not support the aesthetic or actually could be detrimental to the residents. That was shown in carpet patterns that were too active or with too much contrast and lamps or accessories that weren't relevant to the elders. I loved the idea of healthy risk taking, but that should be the option of the resident and not the interior designer.
