ThriveMore Brookridge Memory Support Villas, Winston-Salem, North Carolina: 2025 EFA Design Showcase Honorable Mention
Not-for-profit ThriveMore is pioneering a new memory care prototype at its Brookridge community in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Recently completed and ready to be constructed, the pilot Brookridge Memory Support Villas project aims to ease the caregiving responsibilities of a spouse while enriching the quality of life for individuals living with dementia, allowing couples to continue living together in a single-family home environment.
The conceptual design was submitted to the Design Showcase by CJMW Architecture + Interior Design (Winston-Salem) and comprises 12 independent living cottages connected around a central commons area to foster a sense of connection and inclusiveness.
A small studio at the rear of each 1,700-square-foot cottage can flex to meet the changing needs of residents. The studios connect to a corridor that opens onto a secure garden space and leads to a household-like memory care clubhouse, which is designed to provide specialized care and services such as dining in a welcoming, household-like setting.
With a desire to emulate a residential neighborhood, the architectural design utilizes a mix of materials and façade variations to create a welcoming, familiar environment.
The team tested different layouts for the villa community before determining that a radial pattern would work best and decrease overall travel distance from homes to the central clubhouse. Additionally, the backs of each house plus some infill create a secure interior courtyard with shaded spaces and walking paths.
Interior environments feature calming finishes, high-quality materials, and thoughtful details such as roll-in showers and intuitive closet layouts, with residents able to select from several finish packages to individualize their home.
Jurors appreciated the project’s application of memory care requirements to the retirement villa building type.
“Big props to the whole team for taking on this big challenge and new product type. I can’t wait to see this in action,” noted a juror.
Find more coverage of the 2025 EFA Design Showcase here.
Anne DiNardo is editor-in-chief of Environments for Aging magazine and can be reached at anne.dinardo@emeraldx.com.