Kempton of Charleston
Liberty Healthcare Group (Wilmington, N.C.) partnered with Hamilton Development (Charleston, S.C.) to deliver a luxury community to the Charleston Peninsula. The prime location is less than 1 mile from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The location provides residents, especially memory care residents, with convenient access to MUSC’s specialized gerontological care.
The 85,700-square-foot Kempton of Charleston comprises 92 units including 50 assisted living, 21 memory care, and 21 skilled nursing units.
Designed by McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture (Charleston), Kempton is designed to reflect its urban setting. It also accommodates residents who wish to experience the historical surroundings, harbor views, warm coastal climate, and indoor/outdoor living.
Vertical senior living
Using a vertical program where most of the amenities are on the ground floor, assisted living is housed on the second and third floors and memory care is on the top two floors.
Additionally, Kempton’s floor plan options maximize ease of access to public spaces with short walking distances.
With the help of an acoustical engineer, the design team detailed the exterior envelope to reduce sound transmission. The team also selected European windows that are not only residential in style, but they are also virtually sound resistant.
Contextual design
Artwork by local artists adorn the walls, accompanied by photography of the surrounding area and even handmade sweetgrass baskets—a favorite souvenir of tourists shopping on nearby Broad Street. Every interior element was carefully selected to amplify and highlight the Lowcountry lifestyle.
The project draws aesthetic inspiration from the local, amenity-rich culture and its proximity to Charleston’s historic neighborhoods and world-class restaurants. Residents benefit from having a formal dining room, spa, hair and nail salon, on-site coffee bars, multipurpose areas, fitness center, theater, and Lowcountry-specific outdoor patios.
Kempton’s outdoor spaces are located to maximize cool breezes coming off the water and resemble the courtyards found in many of Charleston’s private historic homes. They offer views of the city, landscaping, and furniture arranged to promote social interactions.
Landscaped tropical plants; teak furniture; and a soft, neutral color scheme of teal blues, sandy browns, and lush greens are also found on the porches and patios of many local homes.
The $27.9 million project was also designed and constructed with resiliency in mind. Its unique post-tension concrete structure had to be designed to withstand hurricane force winds and flooding, even during an earthquake.
It also allows for continued and safe operations despite the region’s susceptibility to natural disasters, with flood panels protecting portions of the ground floor from water inundation allowing both continued occupancy or safe evacuation if necessary.
Project details for Kempton of Charleston
Location: Charleston, S.C.
Completion date: February 2022
Owner: Liberty Senior Living
Developer: Hamilton Development
Total area: 86,768 sq. ft.
Cost: $27.9 million
Architecture firm: McMillan Pazdan Smith
Interior design: McMillan Pazdan Smith, Indoff Commercial Interiors, Stacy Bernhardt (furniture, fixtures, equipment)
General contractor: Trident Construction Group
Engineering: Fine Tuned Structures (structural), Forsberg Engineering & Surveying (civil), Echo Engineering (MEP), CDDC LLC (electrical)
Envelope consultant: 4EA Building Science
Acoustics consultant: Hush Acoustics
Landscape architect: DesignWorks
