When Menno Haven, a non-profit continuing care retirement community in Chambersburg, Pa., opened a new 44-bed short-term rehabilitation center in January, the owner hoped to establish a new image for its Brookview Campus and for rehabilitation.
“They wanted to send the message that they’re forward-thinking and looking to be a leader in the community,” says Jay Weingarten, partner at RDG Planning & Design (Omaha, Neb.), which provided facility master planning, architecture, and interior design services on the project.
The 47,889-square-foot Menno Haven Rehabilitation Center, positioned at the community’s front door, was designed using a hospitality-like aesthetic both inside and out to relay the message to residents (who are referred to as “guests”) that their stay is temporary. “This isn’t meant to feel homelike,” he says. “The goal is to deliver an environment with the aim to get better and go home.”
To that end, the building was designed to Well Building certification standards with a focus on occupant health and well-being to support healing and recovery. Biophilic design elements are present throughout to enhance the connection between the building’s interior and the natural environment outside, including 10-foot-tall ceilings and full-height windows in the public areas.
The inpatient rooms (called “guest suites”) feature 8-foot-tall windows with low sill heights to promote a connection to the outdoors and views to the abundant ground-level plantings nearby.
At the top, a translucent window brings in diffused light throughout the day, even when guests utilize available blackout shades on the window below, to establish circadian rhythms that promote better sleep and accelerate recovery times. Medical aspects of the environment are provided but not emphasized, such as incorporating medical gases into the headwall of the bed behind artwork—ready to be assessed if needed, but not visible.
The building is arranged in a square with a courtyard in the center. Inside, the reception desk and waiting area are housed at the entrance with the two households, each with 22 private, 320-square-foot suites, flanking each side of the building. Shared dining, administrative, clinic, spa, and salon amenities are at the back, while in the building center, the outdoor therapy courtyard features different walking surfaces and curbs set among lush greenery, creating a space that resembles more of a hotel courtyard than rehab space.
In addition to therapy services, the building is also helping upgrade services throughout the CCRC, with a healthcare clinic conveniently located inside the rehabilitation center to serve the campus’ Menno Haven Brookview and Chambers Pointe communities, as well as the greater Chambersburg community.
Additionally, a culinary kitchen was incorporated into the design to provide high-quality meals to all residents of the Brookview and Chambers Pointe campuses. Meals are prepared and transported to other serving kitchens on the campus to be plated and finished to the desires of the residents. This design reiterates maintaining choice and quality in meal preparation for the entire retirement community.
