Heddington Oaks is a nonprofit, county owned-and-operated, skilled care facility located just outside of Peoria, Ill. It was awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in December 2014 for its environmentally conscience design and construction standards. The facility, designed by Larson & Darby Group, replaced an out-of-date facility and provides 214 beds, including 42 private rooms, and secure accommodations for 80 Alzheimer's residents to the aged population in Peoria County.
Larson & Darby Group included a number of sustainable elements such as light-colored shingles to reduce sunlight heat gain. The exterior materials, chosen to enhance the residential character, provide increased maintainability, longevity, lifecycle cost performance, and sustainability for the senior living facility. The plants and trees were selected that are natural to the surrounding wooded microenvironment and will perform well in reduced water conditions. For water savings, irrigation was not used.
Other design elements that contributed to the LEED Gold certification include:
- Low VOC finishes on new products
- Low-flow fixtures throughout the building
- A central high-efficiency boiler system that allows for water and energy savings
- Overall energy usage reduction of 31.5 percent
- Reduction of potable water usage by 30.3 percent
- Daylight sensors energy savings of 15 percent
- Energy-management system controls
- Rainwater harvesting for the healing garden
- Transportation credits obtained via fuel-efficient parking stalls, public bus accessibility, and facility shuttle
- More than 90 percent of construction waste materials recycled and diverted from landfills
Upon entering Heddington Oaks, which opened in July 2013, guests and residents are welcomed by a two-story entryway and lobby filled with natural light to achieve a hospitality feel.
The interior design uses warm, inviting, residential colors. The use of subdued lighting throughout the facility is designed for a population with sight challenges caused by aging. The interior finishes and fabrics have residential appeal yet are engineered to require less intensive maintenance and longer durability.
The facility is designed to provide an enhanced living experience for its residents including fireplaces, a chapel, a hair and nail salon, and an ice cream parlor. Resident rooms are placed on each side of the service core, integrating the state-required nurses’ stations into the surrounding residential neighborhoods, calling little attention to this function while providing nurses with an ideal location for optimum neighborhood observation for both security and safety.
Resident room doors are rarely across the corridor from one another to enhance individual room privacy and reduce noise for each resident. Each suite has individual climate controls and each neighborhood is centered on a gas fireplace that helps to provide a sense of home.
The shared community spaces are deliberately located to optimize exterior views to courtyards with fountains, landscaping, and the wooded site. The resident dining area features decorative, indirect lighting, and the satellite kitchen in each neighborhood allows for a better variety of meals and adds to the daily sense of activity.
Project summary:
Completion date: August 2012
Total building area: 152,000 square feet
Total construction cost: $36,500,000
Owner: Peoria County, Ill.
Architecture: Larson & Darby Group
Consulting Architect: Ferry & Associates
Interior design: Larson & Darby Group
Contracting: Owner’s rep.: Management Performance Associates
Engineering: Larson & Darby Group (MEPFp & T); Hanson Engineers (structural & civil); Massie & Massie (landscape); Greco (food service)
Construction: River City Construction
Photography: Ged Trias & Mike Boatman
Cost/sq. ft.: $212 (for building not including site)
