Design Champion: Gene Guszkowski, CEO, AG Architecture (Wauwatosa, Wis.)  

Fifty years ago, Gene Guszkowski answered a job ad for a print boy position at an architectural firm that preceded AG Architecture. He was one year into architecture school and figured he’d make the most out of the opportunity. By the end of that summer, he was promoted to draftsman; today, he’s CEO. Guszkowski says he’s fortunate to have started his career with the firm on the ground floor, from 10 employees when he graduated to about 50 today. In those early years, he had the unique opportunity to gain real-life experience alongside his studies, continuously taking on new roles and gaining important leadership skills. During that time, he witnessed the firm venture into senior living, realizing that by fusing concepts of multifamily housing and skilled nursing, adding in dining and socialization areas, a new formula for success was emerging: the continuing care retirement community.

It’s that mission to challenge the status quo, anticipate the next wave coming, and respond before anyone else that now define his career. Guszkowski has served as a career-long champion for senior living and is known as a leader who builds consensus and community. And he’s not slowing down, either. New initiatives include exploring alternative housing models, innovative amenity spaces, and multigenerational settings. Here, he shares more about how he got here and what continues to drive him.

How have you seen the industry evolve, and what’s kept you hooked all this time?


The biggest evolution in my time has been in the space “between” living independently in an apartment and needing 24-hour care in a skilled nursing facility, which we now think of generally as assisted living. This has turned out to be the real “space” in which most seniors live. On the skilled nursing side, we have seen that the person-centered care movement has positively transformed that product. The new revolution, and the part that truly has my attention at this time, is the upcoming radical changes we are about to see in the living and lifestyle solutions that will serve a new generation of seniors. Being part of a team creating innovative concepts that will entice those people who truly have little or no interest in the typical choices that are currently available is an exciting opportunity. This is a challenge that truly has me hooked.

Why is it so important to you to advance what senior living design can be, even as someone who’s contributed to some of the existing tried-and-true approaches?

It’s important because the market will demand it. The next generation of residents has high expectations, so we need to keep looking forward and coming up with new desirable solutions. I’m in the leading-edge cohort of the boomers, and I’m still trying to figure out what kind of environment I want to live in when, and if, the need arises. For me, that means it must have an urban flare to it. There has to be diversity, choice and stimulation, and it should be embedded in some kind of intergenerational solution.

Why do you think such alternative ways of thinking will be vital for senior living—and how can designers play a role in this journey?

Exploring alternatives, researching successful concepts from other industries, and disrupting the thought process for senior living design is what is needed to attract the next generation of seniors. And a key component of this process is coming up with solutions that offer a wide variety of price points. A wise, old senior living development consultant told me that the group that can figure out how to create the Holiday Inn of senior living will be the winner. That was almost 30 years ago! We’re still looking for the answer now more than ever, but we, as designers, are a lot wiser now. We must continue to challenge ourselves, especially when it comes to matters concerning affordability.

You’ve implemented a survey method to dig deeper into some critical topics in senior living including the wants/needs of baby boomers and amenity spaces. Tell us about the process.

We have much respect for those actually living in the product we create. The “tried- and-true” designs you referred to earlier are the product of an insulated bubble. We are using the results of the survey to show our clients what the market is expecting.

What’s your vision for what senior living should look like in the future?

First and foremost, it must be embedded in the community at large. Yes, we like to go on vacation for a few weeks and completely immerse ourselves in a different culture or be pampered at a resort or all-inclusive getaway, and there will always be a market for those who think they can permanently escape from it all. But, at the end of our vacation, we all must return to our “messy” lives that provide the true normalcy that we would all want to cling to (especially if someone told us we have a short time to live). So, my vision of senior living is that it should reflect the true messiness of our real, everyday lives. I see the solution generally located in urban communities that are surrounded by diversity in terms of income, generational differences, interests, choice, style, and stimulation. The only real physical difference will be a care component—something that will become increasingly more concealed. It will be designed in a way to be revealed, or miraculously available, when that inevitable health crisis strikes, so we can continue to live our real lives to the best of our post-crisis ability.

 You’ve spent a career fighting for meaningful change in this industry. Why is that so important to you personally?
I think it’s because I truly enjoy living! And I’m grateful for the gift of being a good listener. I cherish each opportunity I have to listen to a client’s need and quickly transform that information into a tangible notion and, through the art of drawing, helping them begin to see it in their own mind. As a 91-year-old acquaintance of mine always says—onward.

To read Q+As with all of the 2019 Design Champions, visit efamagazine.com/trends/reaching-for-the-stars-efas-2019-design-champions/.