Splendido, Tucson, Arizona
Guided by its wellness philosophy and an eye on the evolving needs of current and future residents, Splendido, a 55+ continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Tucson, Ariz., sought to update its amenities with improved aesthetics, services, and efficiencies.
The resort-like amenity offering now includes multiple restaurants and lounge spaces, a spa, wellness center, fitness center, cinema, meeting room, library, billiards room, and art studio.
Amenity spaces pay homage to Tucson’s desert landscape
Hospitality design firm HBA (Los Angeles) worked with Splendido to reimagine the design of its amenity spaces, using a narrative-driven approach to tell a story of Tucson’s landscape and culture that foster a connection between the spaces and those experiencing it.
The overall design of the project includes a warm, neutral clay color palette, including ochre, white, and cream, allowing views of the region’s nearby Santa Catalina Mountains to remain the focal point.
Materiality, patterns, and textures pull inspirations from the beauty of the Sonoran Desert and Tucson’s cultural tapestry. Clean lines and detailed accents bring tailored sophistication to the interior architectural envelope, while natural materials such as stone and wood connect to nature.
Chandeliers and screening elements at the windows in the spa and restaurants, in the living room to distinguish zones in an open floor plan without the total obstruction of a solid wall divider, recreate the effects of dappled sunlight, refracted light, and shadows on a rugged mountainside.
Beyond aesthetics, an emphasis on maximizing natural light and creating bright, airy interiors was integral to cultivating an uplifting ambiance throughout the amenity spaces. The previous design included dark wood and ironwork. The new setting includes glass light fixtures evocative of sculptural forms found in nature.
Creating an amenity hub in The Piazza
Splendido’s amenities hub, known as the Piazza, houses the renovated amenity collection across two floors.
For example, the living room features a versatile layout to accommodate a range of activities with variety of seating options including dining-height tables and chairs, plush sofas, comfortable lounge chairs, and bariatric seating.
A fireplace clad in book-matched stone lends a cozy feel, rising to the height of the double-volume ceiling. A wall of glass frames sweeping mountain views and leads to a newly added terrace.
Restaurant design in senior living
Each of the community’s five restaurants features its own identity.
For example, Café del Sol features wood wall paneling and wood-look floors, clean, crisp lines, and a mural-like wallcovering featuring colors from the surrounding environment such as sand, clay, ochre, sky blue, and orange.
Alonzo’s restaurant features double-height ceilings, a richer color palette of golds and blues, loose drapery, and a five-tiered, modern circular chandelier.
Splendido project details
Project location: Tucson, Ariz.
Completion date: June 2023
Owner: Mather & Plaza Companies
Total building area: 24,440 sq. ft.
Total construction cost: Not disclosed
Cost/sq. ft.: Not disclosed
Architect: Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB)
Interior designer: HBA
General contractor: Parkway Construction
Engineer: TLCP Structural Inc. (structural), KC Mechanical Engineering (MEP)
Builder: Parkway Construction
Art consultant: Saatchi Art
Art/pictures: Saatchi Art
AV equipment/electronics/software: CCS Presentation Systems
Carpet/flooring: Shaw Hospitality, Couristan
Ceiling/wall systems: LBI Boyd Design Resource, Plyboo
Doors/locks/hardware: Emtek, Kohler
Fabric/textiles: Concertex, HBA Textiles, Opuzen, Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering,
Fabric Innovations, Wolf-Gordon, Perennials, Maharam, P/Kaufmann
Furniture—seating/casegoods: Lily Jack, J.E. Wood and Metal, Kwalu, Fairfield, Kellex Seating, Silhouette, Janus et Cie
Lighting: Hubbardton Forge, Hammerton, iWorks, Hudson Valley Lighting
Surfaces—solid/other: Daltile, Sherwin Williams
Wallcoverings: SanFoot, Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering, MDC Interior Solutions, Élitis, Gravity Digital Walls
Other: Vertical Interior Solution (acoustical panels)
Project details are provided by the design team and not vetted by Environments for Aging.
