Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living INTRODUCTION

In an era of new senior housing construction, owners and operators are turning a close eye toward design and architecture to attract new and future residents. Gone are the days where a fitness center and simple movie screening room are differentiating one community from its competitors.

Senior Housing News has identified the top communities in each of seven categories that are making their mark when it comes to architecture and design. Through our annual Senior Housing News Architecture & Design Awards, exclusively sponsored by Kwalu, we set out to find which owners, operators, designers and architects are getting it right when it comes to breaking new ground in the senior living industry.

With dozens of project contenders, a panel of expert judges considered properties across seven different categories over the course of 2015: Affordable Housing, Assisted Living, Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), Independent Living, Renovation/ Repositioning, Skilled Nursing/Post-Acute Care and Stand Alone Memory Care.

The panel of industry experts judged projects and evaluated nominees based on a vast set of design and aesthetic criteria. Not only did judges analyze design elements such as color, light and landscape architecture, but they also considered community functionality by analyzing key features critical to property type, such as universal design techniques.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 1 CONTENTS

Introduction 1 About Senior Housing News 3 State of the Industry 4 Straight From The Experts 6 The 2015 Winners 17 Conclusion 67

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 2 ABOUT SENIOR HOUSING NEWS

Senior Housing News (SHN) is the leading source of news and information covering the senior housing industry.

With a national reach of more than 30,000 professionals, SHN readership includes senior housing operators, developers, banking institutions, real estate investment trusts, private equity and service providers catering to the industry.

SHN provides a cutting-edge and targeted platform unlike any other publication, giving you the opportunity to reach decision-makers every day.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 3 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Senior living providers that are updating their amenities may seem cutting-edge today, but it’ll take much more than spas and Internet cafes for operators to succeed in the future. While some providers are adding roof-top wine bars, others are creating next level ultra-gyms and are building staff-centric spaces to help with recruitment and retention, proving that when it comes to senior living design, the possibilities for innovation are endless.

“We continue to be impressed with how designers, architects and operators are raising the bar each year for senior living communities,” says George Yedinak, Founder of Senior Housing News. “Owners and operators are setting themselves apart through design in an increasingly competitive market environment by leveraging innovative spatial designs and focusing their efforts on community integration in local areas.”

We continue to be impressed with how designers, architects and operators are raising the bar each year for senior living communities,”

George Yedinak, Founder of Senior Housing News

This report takes a deep dive into the seven winning entries of the 2015 Architecture & Design Awards. Learn from the architectural masterminds behind each winning community and how they were able to set themselves apart in a highly competitive and growing market.

We have also interviewed each of the judges to bring you the experts’ perspective on what is trending in senior housing design. In the following pages, get each judge’s take on how providers are developing properties for the low and middle income population; where senior housing design continuously falls short; and what they would include in communities of the future if money were no object.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 4 In the following pages, we take you on a tour of each winning community to hear their stories—from concept to completion.

The Hottest Design Trends of 2015

Senior housing design is in a state of rapid and constant flux. With so many changes happening all at one time, communities are challenged by where to concentrate their efforts. In preparation for a new generation of seniors to enter these communities, operators are pressed to deliver a cutting edge product that will remain relevant into the coming decades.

Despite the endless array of possibilities for innovation within architecture and design, we have identified a few common trends developing in the industry. Industry experts agree that a heightened focus on wellness, diverse outdoor spaces, flexible environments and contemporary aesthetics is leading the design charge forward.

These experts also note that senior housing design and architecture is falling short in comparison to some other industries. In our Straight From the Experts section, they weigh in on what operators will have to do in order to stay relevant in the future.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 5 STRAIGHT FROM THE EXPERTS

Elisabeth Borden is the founding principal for The Highland Group, a Colorado-based firm providing market research and planning services for developers and operators of senior housing and care. A baby boomer herself, she is informed and passionate about the development of new approaches to housing and care for her generation. Elisabeth earned her M.A. in Long-Term Care Administration from the Center for Studies in Aging at the University of North Texas.

Why Trendier Senior Living Amenities Might Not Be the Answer

SHN: What are the top trends you in two important ways. Senior housing saw in senior housing in 2015? design tends to either focus too much around needs and care, or takes an EB: One is an increased focus on opposite approach and assumes wellness, including the creatively- people want everything done for them designed “active stairwell” that encourages and just want to have fun. people to walk up to their third- or fourth-floor unit. A second trend is Instead, design should support the greater attention to natural light, with kinds of lives people have always had, more and larger windows. The trend balanced with play, work, rest and that is most critical is that developers connection with others. Design should are beginning to pick vibrant and support truly meaningful engagement walkable locations that allow residents and should not assume people are to remain engaged in the community. different because they are older.

SHN: Where is senior housing design and architecture falling short in comparison to other industries?

EB: I think senior housing design falls short in comparison to other industries

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 6 SHN: What’s your favorite new technology that’s specific to the senior housing industry, and why?

EB: My favorite new technology is anything that helps people regain or retain wellness and function. It’s hard for people to enjoy life when they are in constant pain or can’t do things they love to do.

High-tech fitness and physical therapy spaces that have the latest equipment to help people with strength and balance show that the community understands the importance of wellness. It is so important to design fitness and therapy spaces around the equipment, as well as to create a beautiful and motivating setting with windows, light and color.

I’d love to see every community encourage people to spend time outside by creating a fabulous set of diverse outdoor spaces”

Elisabeth Borden Founding Principal for The Highland Group

SHN: How can operators design communities that are not only relevant now, but will continue to be relevant in the future?

EB: I’m convinced that boomers will not be attracted to the same housing and care types we have now, that they won’t want the same combination of common amenities, unit types and services we now offer in independent living, for example. Developers and operators need to invent new models that respond to boomer preferences—some new models that may be smaller communities or may look more like co-housing, tailored to affinity groups and placed in unique, vibrant locations.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 7 SHN: If money were no object, what is the one thing you would include in every senior housing design?

EB: I’d love to see every community encourage people to spend time outside by creating a fabulous set of diverse outdoor spaces, not just one big patio or courtyard for everyone to share. Create several types and sizes of spaces—private, semi-private and public—placed around the perimeter of the building.

If I lived there, I’d want to reserve a private patio for a dinner party for six friends one day, then sit outside in a little tucked-away space with a friend another day. Even with urban models there are ways to design small spaces into decks, balconies, rooftops and alongside the building edges.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 8 John Cronin, AIA is the principal of AG Architecture which offers extensive experience encompassing all phases of planning, design, project management, as well as the supervision and observation of construction. John Cronin has more than 25 years of experience in the exterior and interior design development of senior living communities, large scale housing developments, mixed use buildings as well as assisted living and memory support facilities. With each architectural project he finds a point of inspiration and becomes immersed in the details of the building and the impact of the design on the user as well as the surrounding community. John’s thoughtful approach to every detail reflects his total commitment to his profession. In his free time, John enjoys spending time outdoors as well as studying history, cosmology and physics.

Blurring the Lines Between Senior Housing & Local Gyms

SHN: What are the top trends you state-of-the-art fitness center, although saw in senior housing in 2015? elevating this amenity is part of the trend. Creating destinations throughout a senior JC: Due to extended life expectancies, living campus that entice residents and more and more emphasis is being placed replicate the desirable qualities of a on health and well-being, and people are walkable urban community add vibrancy taking a proactive approach to their to their daily lives. health care. Senior living communities are embracing this health-focused mentality SHN: Where is senior housing design and want to work with teams that can and architecture falling short in help them create spaces that will support comparison to other industries? wellness programs. JC: : I don’t believe senior living is falling short. All congregate living situations, The physical environment and whether rental apartments, hotels or programming need to work together to senior living communities, are providing encourage resident mobility and plenty of activity space for socialization socialization. This is more than a and physical recreation.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 9 The senior living providers we work with make that type of community activity a priority. The goal is to create a vibrant lifestyle and engaging community experience. The difference with senior living is the longevity of the stay for the residents. So, the challenge is to keep residents engaged and inspired with the environment, amenities, services and programming, day after day, year after year.

SHN: What’s your favorite new technology that’s specific to the senior housing industry, and why?

JC: Mobile devices containing an individual’s personal care plan elevates the patient and staff experience, allowing design teams to readdress the physical environment. This technology saves time and makes the whole health care delivery component of senior living more personal and interactive.

SHN: How can operators design communities Spaces need to be that are not only relevant now, but will continue be able to change to to be relevant in the future? address the evolving JC: The best thing operators can do on projects expectations of one today that will strategically support the future generation of resi- development of their community is to invest in a structural system that offers design flexibility. dents after another” Needs change, so likewise spaces need to be able John Cronin, AIA Principal of AG Architecture to change to address the evolving expectations of one generation of residents after another. It is an important part of the design phase to consider structural systems that will allow the physical environment to adapt to these changing expectations.

SHN: If money were no object, what is the one thing you would include in every senior housing design?

JC: As I think about the extracurricular activities enjoyed by various generations right now, I believe an expanded recreational facility would be an ideal amenity. Beyond providing an adequate fitness area that offers weight equipment and treadmills, it would be nice to provide a gymnasium facility to support a variety of activities, such as basketball, badminton, volleyball, kickball, etc., maybe even a rock climbing wall. Just think of all the ways that type of facility could build a sense of community with resi- dents, staff and families as well as with the surrounding neighborhood.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 10 Jeffrey Anderzhon, FAIA is the Senior Planning & Design Architect of Eppstein Uhen Architects based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jeffrey has a passion for creating environments for the elderly that encourage connection and maintaining a tie to community. He is an internationally renowned speaker and author who focuses on creating homes, not housing. He is passionate not only about design but also about sharing his expertise with clients so they are able to make informed decisions that will positively affect their staff and residents. Jeffrey is passionate about creating environments which can truly make a difference in the lives of humans and help everyone see the positive side of living and aging.

Fierce Competition for Younger Residents Drives Senior Living Designs

SHN: What are the top trends you designed for the “Greatest Generation” saw in senior housing in 2015? are now finding it difficult to attract boomers. JA: We’ve seen many care providers add to or increase their sub-acute Adding a variety of amenities, broader skilled nursing capacity. While there is a care choices, venues for community- demonstrable need for these services, wide cultural events and spaces for too often providers view the gross creative marketing techniques are all a revenues involved without full compre- part of these repositionings. In addition, hension of the cost of services, the updating health centers on campus to competition or the ongoing need to fill be less institutional with a more the beds, along with the necessary residential aesthetic serves to ease the relationship building with acute care advent of transferring from independent providers. The conversion to sub-acute, living. short-term care is certainly a trend, but should not be delved into blindly. New construction is moving rapidly to a more contemporary aesthetic. Designers There is a trend of established continuing are dealing with clients who recognize care campuses toward “repositioning.” the importance of original design rather Competition has become fierce for than replication of palates from the younger retirees, and those campuses past.

Senior Housing News 11

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living This also allows more design freedom in exploring spatial relationships which tend to aid in marketing efforts.

Waiting lists are being turned into club memberships. We have seen more clients request the inclusion of spaces where non-campus residents, but members of the campus club, can meet, can test-drive campus living and can become integrated into the campus community prior to actually moving onto campus.

Residents are more focused on being comfortable and pampered and going home, than in deep-dive socialization with fellow residents” Jeffrey Anderzhon, FAIA Senior Planning & Design Architect of Eppstein Uhen Architects

SHN: Where is senior housing design and architecture falling short in comparison to other industries?

JA: We’re seeing the line between dedicated senior living and market rate multi-family blurring considerably. Seniors want the same apartment and common space amenities, the same level of finishes and the same social interaction that is available in market rate apartments. The neighborhood or campus vitality and action marketed for millennials also works for seniors who want to be a part of the community.

Sub-acute, short-term nursing is increasingly being designed toward the hospitality model. Residents are more focused on being comfortable and pampered and going home, than in deep-dive socialization with fellow residents. Attracting these residents requires not only quality care, but quality environment with personal choice.

SHN: What’s your favorite new technology that’s specific to the senior housing industry, and why?

JA: Technology continues to advance in senior living in two ways: assisting the care provider in actually providing care, and assisting the resident in remaining connected to their long established community of friends and family.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 12 These technologies have been around a while but are gaining both more accessibility and more acceptance. The advent of mandatory EHR will undoubtedly allow more hands-on direct care. The level of resident knowledge of technology will undoubtedly break down the physical barriers that surround senior communities.

SHN: How can operators design communities that are not only relevant now, but will continue to be relevant in the future?

JA: Versatility is critical in designing today’s senior living communities, not only for aging in place, but for anticipated changes in demographic and socioeconomic shifts. Designers need to address the possibility of skilled nursing bed requirements declining and assisted living requirements increasing. Designers need to consider the decreasing retirement wealth of seniors and need for affordability, but no lessening desire for a wide variety of amenities. The trend for campus repositioning is demonstrably an indication of this need for versatility.

SHN: If money were no object, what is the one thing you would include in every senior housing design?

JA: Ready access for every resident, regardless of care level, to secure exterior space that is well designed and essentially provides another room or space for the resident. These spaces are often value-engineered out of designs in order to meet budgetary requirements, but are certainly as important as any interior space. Humans do not live completely inside buildings and require the connection to the exterior for circadian rhythms as well as full connection to nature.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 13 Dan Cinelli, FAIA is the principal & executive director of Perkins Eastman based out of Washington, D.C. He is one of the lead principals in the firm’s international senior living practice area. He has collaborated with more than 100 national senior living organizations, sponsors and associations, emerging as a visionary in the field. Dan’s 36 years of hands-on experience in this area, combined with his strength in scenario planning, board education, trends analysis, partnership development and master planning allows him to facilitate his clients’ strategic thinking about the future.

Top Hotel Chains Give Cues to Senior Living

SHN: What are the top trends you SHN: Where is senior housing design saw in senior housing in 2015? and architecture falling short in comparison to other industries? DC: We have seen so many new trends this past year that are addressing the DC: While not the place where one expectations of the new and future would expect to find sleek design and consumer. New types of flexible high-end amenities, many business environments for lifelong learning are hotel chains like Marriott and Hyatt have being created, which include been introducing some great features intergenerational art programs and into the suburban market. Several now hosting classroom space for local junior offer coffee bars with tablet arm chairs, colleges, to name a few. hybrid spaces for a wine bar or art gallery, and restaurants with clean and Another major trend is taking place in modern touches, for example. The dining venues. We are beginning to see senior living market would be wise to all-day casual dining spaces where take note here and continue to offer the people can stay after lunch to enjoy range of amenities that are now prevalent another cup of coffee and some leisure in hospitality settings. time with friends without feeling rushed.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 14 A cue that senior living should take from the hospitality market in particular is the industry’s selection of more urban geographic locations for their new senior consumer. Senior living developers need to select sites that can utilize retail, civic and public transit amenities that have the potential to energize their marketing plan, and they should take full advantage of the intergenerational activities that come naturally in a dense and vibrant urban setting.

SHN: What’s your favorite new technology that’s specific to the senior housing industry, and why?

DC: With the connection of more senior organizations to accountable care organizations and health care partners, especially with the switching of comprehensive care beds to Medicare rehab units, we are seeing a major shift in the industry to a fully-integrated technology framework that not only communicates to all levels of the continuum of care, but also allows adult children to access information as well.

We are also very excited about the utilization of telemedicine in independent living urban satellite buildings, which allows a proactive aging-in-place engagement for the residents, even if they are two miles away from the main campus or hospital partner. We are urging our clients to create buildings that are flexible for the unknown needs of the future” Dan Cinelli, FAIA Principal & Executive Director of Perkins Eastman

SHN: How can operators design communities that are not only relevant now, but will continue to be relevant in the future?

DC: We are urging our clients to create buildings that are flexible for the unknown needs of the future. Buildings and communities should include structural and mechanical systems that allow for fluctuations to programming as well as the demands of the new consumer. As to the size of the units, designs should account for new technologies that have yet to be invented, and town center dining amenities will need to be upgraded no less than three times in the next 20 years.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 15 Another thing that we are seeing in other industries is serious investments in staff programs and spaces that are designed to recruit and retain a sustainable workforce for the future. These environments (dining, education, wellness, etc.) should support and nurture our frontline employees to exceed their own expectations.

SHN: If money were no object, what is the one thing you would include in every senior housing design?

DC: We are convinced that every new or remodeled community should have a “Center for Healthy Living” program that will support the six dimensions of wellness (physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, emotional and occupational) for their residents, staff and surrounding senior community partners. This health club approach obliges each customer to evaluate their existing wellness status and proactively map and engage a plan for a great wellness outcome. Assessment clinics, sensory focused day spas, cardio and strength training programs, yoga and aerobic classes and nutrition seminars all allow the community to proactively thrive into the future.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 16 THE 2015 WINNERS

From reclaimed urban property to blurring the lines between market rate and affordable housing, designers and architects are taking their senior living community plans to new heights.

Dozens of communities faced off in the 2015 Senior Housing News Design Awards, with new construction and renovation projects vying for the top spot in each of the seven categories: Affordable Housing, Assisted Living, CCRC, Independent Living, Renovation/Repositioning, Skilled Nursing/Post-Acute Care, and Stand Alone Memory Care.

Only one community was named the best of each category, with judges weighing in on design features and community amenities from state-of-the-art gyms to neighborhood-style communities and more.

“We continue to be impressed with how designers, architects and operators are raising the bar each year for senior living communities,” says George Yedinak, Founder of Senior Housing News. “Owners and operators are setting themselves apart through design in an increasingly competitive market environment by leveraging innovative spatial designs and focusing their efforts on community integration in local areas.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 17 Best of Affordable Senior Housing Design 2015: Cutting Costs, Not Style

When the term “affordable housing” comes to mind, the first thing to pop into your head is unlikely to be high style. That’s Community Name: exactly the reaction that the team behind The Kilpatrick Renaissance The Renaissance Kilpatrick, an affordable Company: senior housing project located in Chicago, Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects, PC is hoping to buck. Owner / Operator: Jeanmarie Kapp, chief operating officer of The Renaissance Companies The Renaissance Companies, would be the first to tell you that affordable housing Architect or Firm: Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects, PC doesn’t have to look like it’s made on the cheap. Builder / Contractor: Sterling Renaissance “Our promise has always been that affordable housing doesn’t have to look like affordable Project Completion: housing,” says Kapp. “This building is proof June 2015 positive of that. It’s 90% affordable, but Project Size (Sq. Ft.) you would never know it looking at it. Not 79,249 by the way we manage it, not the way it’s developed, not the way it looks.”

Photo Credit: Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects, PC Courtesy of: Todd Wiltse

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 18 Situated near a main transportation artery in Chicago’s Portage Park, a neighborhood about eight miles northwest of downtown, the Kilpatrick is a unique affordable housing project that not only fits into its surrounding community, but adds to it.

The Concept

Affordable housing projects can be hard to come by, yet the need for these housing options for adults 55 and older continues to grow, according to Kapp. The Renaissance Companies has been filling the need for affordable senior housing and other, market-rate properties in the Photo Credit: Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects, PC Courtesy of: Todd Wiltse Chicago area since 1985. The Kilpatrick Renaissance, with its 98 independent living units, is 90% reserved for low-income adults 55 and older, with 10% market-rate units. “Affordable, quality senior housing is in high demand in this area, probably across the country, but definitely in a lot of neighborhoods across Chicago,” says Kapp. “We knew that the need was here.” It meets a huge need for affordable housing for seniors, which is a global and national need,” Todd Wiltse, Partner at Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects, P.C.

The plot of land where the project sits was originally slated for multi-family housing. After the original development never got underway following the financial crisis, The Renaissance Companies swooped in to build the affordable age-restricted housing. The Kilpatrick sits near Cicero Avenue, a major thoroughfare, and is close to grocery stores, shopping and public transportation.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 19 “It meets a huge need for affordable housing for seniors, which is a global and national need, as well as a city need,” says Todd Wiltse, a partner with the Chicago-based architecture firm Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects, P.C., which designed the building. “Within the city of Chicago, it lets people stay

Photo Credit: Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects, PC in the neighborhood.” Courtesy of: Todd Wiltse

While many residents who now live at The Kilpatrick are from the surrounding area, adults have come from across the country to reside in the building. When it came to designing the structure, Wiltse says it was essential to integrate the building into the surrounding area and enable older adults to live independently without feeling like they are living in low-income housing.

“The main thing, starting with the biggest picture, was how do we take the program of independent seniors housing and make it an integral part of the neighborhood so we’re not just making people independent through the building, but in the neighborhood,” says Wiltse. “It’s a very nice site and a very urban site in that sense. Our main focus was how to get a building that relates to that visually and to get people out to walk around, invite their neighbors into the building and not feel they are trapped in the building.”

Photo Credit: Worn Jerabek Wiltse Architects, PC Courtesy of: Todd Wiltse

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 20 The success of that integration with the “There are people who don’t under- neighborhood is part of what makes stand what the product is, they don’t The Kilpatrick Renaissance stand out in understand who we are trying to serve,” its category of affordable housing. says Kapp. “When it’s lower-income “One of the things we were tasked to seniors, that’s an education process for judge is connection within the community people who live around the property. of the building or with a broader sense,” Once they gave us the opportunity to let says Jeff Anderzohn, FAIA, senior them know what we were proposing, planner, design architect with Eppstein people got on board, which was very Uhen Architects and also one of the helpful.” judges for the 2015 SHN Architecture & Design Awards. “In this case, I looked The process of applying and receiving at community connection in a broader LITCs was a long one, up to a couple sense with its adjacency to the years before construction could begin, commercial that’s just to the south of according to Kapp. The timeline for the the development. So the residents have application process can keep a ready access to a grocery store and development from getting underway for some other commercial areas. It has a months, or even years. good community connection.” “The city’s tax credits are awarded Construction annually, so there’s a competition for those,” says Kapp. “Every developer Before construction began on the who does credits has to apply on an building, The Renaissance Companies annual basis if they have a project they applied for Low Income Housing Tax want to get off the ground. That’s why Credits with the City of Chicago and it’s complicated too by the timelines.” had to sell the concept to the community. The project was developed as a City of Chicago Planned Development. With the help of local Alderman John Arena, Kapp and her team held meetings with the community to educate people on what the project would look like and who it would serve.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 21 The construction budget for the project was close to $15.8 million, which was funded by the long-awaited tax credits. While market-rate constructions may have the ability to seek alternative financing with a little more flexibility in budgets, The Kilpatrick Renaissance was very limited. This constraint actually inspired some creativity and innovation in how the building was constructed.

To preserve some savings, the building is made of a precast concrete structure that was created off-site, in Wisconsin. That streamlined construction and left some of the interior walls concrete, reducing the need to spend more time and money on drywall. The exterior of the building consists mostly of brick and stone masonry with details of composite metals, a throwback to the classic Chicago “bungalow style,” says Kapp.

The exterior of the building consists mostly of brick and stone masonry with details of composite metals, a throwback to the classic Chicago “bungalow style” Jeanmarie Kapp, Chief Operating Officer of The Renaissance Companies

“That is unique, particularly with the way they treated the exterior elevations as if it were masonry construction,” says Anderzohn. “Precast in this case allows it to be built a lot quicker and saves money. Time is money.”

The concrete reduced costs significantly, according to Bruce Sterling, vice president of Sterling Renaissance, Inc., the construction services company that built The Kilpatrick Renaissance. Sterling Renaissance subcontracted the manufacturing of the precast structure of the building.

“Early on we all got together and had the idea that we would leave the exterior walls exposed,” says Sterling. “And the people that made the product did such a good job that it actually looks like drywall. That saved a load of money. That saves studs, dry- wall, painting, taping, carpentry, labor. And the end result is it really looks nice.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 22 While making certain cost adjustments “The project was originally slated to be was one challenge, erecting the building submitted for multifamily highrise code also was no easy feat when dealing with for the Energy Star, which falls under the harsh Chicago winter weather, the Environmental Protection Agency according to Sterling. As the project got (EPA),” says Sterling. “The engineers underway, Sterling and his team were designed a building that met all these hit with one of the coldest winters on criteria, and were positive that they had record, delaying the process. the review the way it was supposed to be. We had framed everything in the “We started construction late November building and had the roof on. And then of 2013,” says Bruce Sterling. “Then it they made the submittal to the EPA, was the worst winter in 20 years. Then it and the EPA came back and said we was deathly cold for six weeks. Then it were short by one-half the amount of was cold and windy. Finally, when it exhaust we needed.” warmed up, it got really rainy. It was a long process. …It was really almost 18 Realizing this problem so close to the months, but we lost many, many days. end of the construction was a huge We lost maybe 28 days from beginning problem. The fix, according to Kapp, of December 2013 to March 2014. would have cost another $500,000 …We just made it. There are all kinds of However, the City of Chicago disagreed constraints [for] when you have to be that the building needed another done by for the equity partner, and we component to its already efficient just made it for all of the delays that we exhaust system. After much back and had.” forth that lasted from July 2014 until October of the same year, The Kilpatrick Completion Renaissance team finally decided to forgo its Energy Star certification. After most of the building had been constructed and put together, Kapp and Sterling ran into another snag that delayed the project and ultimately changed the course of one of the development’s certification goals.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 23 However, the building still boasts an efficient exhaust, heating and cooling system that also benefits from the concrete interior walls, energy efficient lighting, Energy Star appliances, water-conserving plumbing fixtures and a rainwater harvesting system. All these energy savings are great benefits to residents.

The Kilpatrick Renaissance was completed in July 2015, with 38 studio units, 54 one-bedroom units and 6 two-bedroom units. Applications for the buildings units reached upwards of 430, according to Kapp, reflecting the high demand for this type of housing for adults 55 and older.

Since The Kilpatrick offers independent living, there was also a need for action plans should the acuity level of residents increase and their care needs change. As residents moved in, Renaissance Social Services, Inc. (RSSI) opened its doors on the main floor, providing 24-hour onsite staff to address the needs of residents and conduct programming for the building. RSSI also services 10 units of housing for Colbert Consent Decree/Illinois Department on Aging Individuals, which will provide these residents with relocation assistance, counseling, case management to rebuild social skills, housing management skills and more.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 24 The four-story building features large Each floor of the building is a different common areas on the first floor where color and the hallways have artwork residents can interact and host events, that matches. Some floors have access such as exercise classes and workshops. to smaller outdoor spaces that are open The main floor holds a library with seasonally. Within the resident rooms, computers and Internet access, a club Kapp and Sterling have cut costs, but room with a fireplace, a landscaped kept a high-end feel. The floor has the private courtyard, fitness room and appearance of wood, but is made of a resident storage. The library holds a less expensive material that is durable number of donated books on its dark and easy to replace. The cabinetry is wood shelves. Each room of the building interlocking wood that is built to last. requires an access key to enter, keeping Within the market-rate units, the appli- the building secure. ances are high-end compared to others in the building, but much the layout To keep costs low, Kapp hand-picked remains the same with adaptable much of the furnishings in the common features in the bathrooms and kitchens. areas and the art adorning the walls, much of it coming from second-hand In some units, Sterling also rigged up a stores or hotel sales. Off the front system so that residents can open entrance of the building is a mailroom windows with the push of a button. The with inviting seating, including a system makes the windows compliant high-winged loveseat couch that with Americans with Disabilities Act originated from a Chicago hotel. guidelines, which say windows should be opened with a force of no more than The club room features high-end shelving, five pounds. a surround-sound system and televi- sion. The shelving is neatly decorated It also is one more demonstration of the with items picked by Sterling and Kapp guiding principle for Sterling, Kapp and from stores like Home Goods, providing their teams: With ingenuity and a residents with a home-like feeling commitment to the goal, it’s possible to without a high cost. From the club offer affordable housing without room, residents can access the private compromising on creature comforts or courtyard, which is partially covered innovative design. with an aluminum pergola and holds a number of grills for use.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 25 Best of Assisted Living Design 2015: Difference is in the Details

Strolling through Seattle’s vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood, you may not notice an assisted living community in your midst — Community Name: let alone the 2015 Senior Housing News Aegis on Madison Design Award winner for “Best Assisted Company: Living,” Aegis on Madison. Aegis Living

The man behind Aegis on Madison probably Owner / Operator: wouldn’t mind. In fact, he was thrilled when Aegis Living a FedEx delivery man entered and swiftly turned around to leave, assuming the Architect or Firm: VIA building couldn’t possibly be an assisted living facility. Builder / Contractor: Anderson Construction “We always want people to say: ‘This doesn’t look like anything like how I Project Completion: thought it would look,’” Aegis Living CEO February 2014 Dwayne Clark tells Senior Housing News. Project Size (Sq. Ft.) 100,000

Photo Credit: Aegis Living Courtesy of: Rob Liebreich

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 26 From the outside, Aegis on Madison rivals some of the trendiest boutique hotels in Seattle. On the inside, it has “everything you would expect in an assisted living building,” according to John Cronin, principal at AG Architecture and a 2015 SHN Design Awards judge. It also has all of the amenities you would find in independent living, he says, in reference to the community’s sports den, movie theater, cocktail bars and open-air, rooftop sky lounge.

And if you do happen to be strolling by, you can feel free to drop in: Aegis on Madison opens its shared spaces for private events and community meetings, and operates both a public coffeehouse and a mercantile boutique on-site.

This integration within the greater community, paired with Aegis on Madison’s unwillingness to play down to old people or to assisted living residents, led to its victory in the “Best Assisted Living” category.

The Concept

Clark saw a gap in the diverse Capitol Hill market — a high-density, metropolitan area of Seattle that is at once artsy and upscale, with a variety of coffeehouses, restaurants and performance venues. There weren’t any senior living options in Photo Credit: Aegis Living the area that were creative enough, he Courtesy of: Rob Liebreich believed. There also weren’t any good options in terms of high-end, luxury senior living.

Aegis on Madison, then, was envisioned as a one-of-a-kind reflection of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Conceptualizing the actual building given the available space, however, was not without its challenges.

This is the first time I’ve seen such a focus on dignity and respect put into an assisted living and memory care facility” Rob Liebreich, General Manager at Aegis on Madison

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 27 “The site chosen for Aegis on Madison was particularly challenging because it was triangular,” Clark says. The site consists of less than an acre of property in total.

For inspiration, Clark turned his sights to an architectural mainstay: Rome. While vacationing there, he noticed a Photo Credit: Aegis Living Courtesy of: Rob Liebreich building on a corner lot he thought would be perfect to emulate. He sent a picture of it to VIA, the architecture firm charged with designing Aegis on Madison. Sure enough, the design was a great fit.

Right-sizing the building for the lot was only part of the story. Inside, Aegis on Madison’s design and amenities were designed so as not to “play down” to seniors or assisted living residents, notes Elisabeth Borden, principal at The Highland Group and a 2015 SHN Design Awards judge.

“Instead, the design provides a handsome place to live that would be very appealing to people in their 40s and 50s who are just looking for a great place to live,” Borden says.

Photo Credit: Aegis Living Courtesy of: Rob Liebreich

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 28 Aegis on Madison’s secured memory To begin with, urban land is expensive care floor, which features a second-level — more so than suburban land, which outdoor deck, is designed to appeal to providers sometimes choose for this its residents as well. The deck, in an very reason. Then, there are the higher effort to bring back feelings of yesteryear, insurance rates that come with operating features a vintage car and a facade that the Queen Bee Cafe on-site, Cronin is painted like the doorsteps of classic notes. homes you’d find in the Pacific Northwest. Aegis on Madison also went above and More generally, Aegis on Madison was beyond to make sure the movie theater also designed to treat all of its residents was in fact a movie theater — complete like dignified adults, not children — to with a ticket booth and a marquee offer them cocktail bars, not ice cream advertising showtimes. The movie parlors, as Borden points out. theater’s marquee cost $100,000, the ticket booth cost $60,000 and the ticker “This is the first time I’ve seen such a tape showing stock prices and game focus on dignity and respect put into an scores in the sports den cost $30,000. assisted living and memory care facility,” Aegis on Madison General Manager Similarly, the project leaders wanted to Rob Liebreich says. make sure the sports den was an enviable “Man Cave.” The 900-square-foot The Construction space is outfitted with several leather couches, a bar with a bartender, a wall Construction began on Aegis on Madison of flat-screen TVs and autographed in spring 2012. Aegis Living originally sports memorabilia. budgeted $33.4 million for the project, raising the capital through conventional Despite the added expense, Clark did financing methods. not hesitate to include these extra details in the final design. He viewed There was “nothing major” in terms of them as essential. challenges leading up to or during construction, Clark says. Such a detailed project does cost a pretty penny, though.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 29 “That’s what separates us from the competition, that level of detail,” Clark says.

Liebreich agrees, and has considered the details from a resident’s perspective.

“The details make it quite a therapeutic place from the moment you walk in,” he says. Rather than focusing directly on revenue-generating design elements, Aegis took the greater community and all of its residents into consideration when it converted the top floor of Aegis on Madison into a sky lounge, rather than several “nicer,” more expensive apartments. This is a step different providers may not have taken, Liebreich says.

All things considered, Aegis on Madison may showcase the direction assisted living is headed” John Cronin, AIA Principal of AG Architecture

Completion

The 100,000-square-foot building was completed on Feb. 14, 2014, only slightly over the original $33.4 million budget, at $34 million. The community, which has 75 assisted living units and 29 memory care units, was 99% occupied within 13 months.

Aegis Living has “absolutely” realized its return on investment with Aegis on Madison, Clark says. Though the community has not yet been open for two years, the company has paid back 100% of its equity investors and the property is ready to be refinanced.

The property has seen success in other areas, too. Its proximity to local nonprofits and charities has enabled residents to volunteer with ease, and the on-site restaurant and mercantile boutique have enjoyed patronage from Capitol Hill and Aegis residents alike.

This regular interaction between Aegis on Madison and the Capitol Hill community impressed SHN Design Award judges.

“When it came to integration with the greater community, at least with the local neighborhood, I think that makes a lot of sense,” Cronin says.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 30 Photo Credit: Aegis Living Courtesy of: Rob Liebreich

Aegis on Madison’s exterior design, including a trendy ground-floor coffeehouse, is “a perfect fit” with the neighborhood, Borden says. An added bonus: Queen Bee Cafe, named after Dwayne Clark’s mother, donates 100% of its profits to charity. One of Liebreich’s favorite parts of Aegis on Madison’s design is the community-build- ing it enables through its numerous shared spaces.

He says the building allows residents to enjoy purposeful programming on all seven floors, and every one of the shared spaces allow for intergenerational programming. Even non-residents get in on the action: Aegis on Madison recently hosted a wedding shower in the sky lounge, for instance.

“The space for residents to congregate really makes the community come alive,” Liebreich says.

All things considered, Aegis on Madison may showcase the direction assisted living is headed, Cronin says.

“Assisted living is getting more and more like independent living,” he explains. While this blurring may catch on more widely in senior housing, for now a building like Aegis on Madison is on the leading edge, and Cronin is not faint in his praise of it. Seeing independent living-style amenities in a stand-alone assisted living community inspires him to use this word: “Amazing.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 31 Best of CCRC Design 2015: Old Meets New

Location was the name of the game when it came to the development of Balfour at Riverfront Park, the 2015 Senior Housing Community Name: News Design Award winner for “Best Balfour at Riverfront Park CCRC.” Company: Location is what prompted Balfour’s Balfour Senior Living Founder and CEO Michael Schonbrun in Owner / Operator: 2005 to purchase the plot of land that Balfour Senior Care would one day house Balfour at Riverfront Park, nestled in Denver’s Lodo neighbor- Architect or Firm: Klipp Architects: A Division of hood where the South Platte River meets Gkkworks Cherry Creek. Location is what inspired a certain cohesiveness between the retrofitting Builder / Contractor: of the Moffat Depot, Denver’s second train JE Dunn Construction station and a city landmark, and splashes Project Completion: of modernity throughout its interior. And December 2014 location is what led Schonbrun to believe that a continuum of care in an urban setting Project Size (Sq. Ft.) would be viable long before such a notion 275,000 was deemed plausible.

Photo Credit: Balfour Senior Living Courtesy of: Lindsay Mitchell

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in seniorSenior livingLiving Senior Housing News 3132 “We felt something of a contrarian plight, because there are a lot of people in the industry and outside of it who think that seniors should only be out in the countryside or suburbia, in a sort of ‘God’s waiting room,’ if you will,” Schonbrun says. “We think there are a lot of seniors who want to enjoy what a dynamic metropolitan area has to offer and still have new adventures and experiences. Denver provides that, and seniors can enjoy it as much as younger folks.”

And Balfour at Riverfront Park residents surely do take advantage of all that Denver has to offer, he says. With two parks, the city’s theater district and a plethora of shops and restaurants within reach, there’s no shortage of activities in which they can partake outside of the continuing care retirement community (CCRC), also known as life plan communities following a shift in terminology.

The sheer dedication that went into carefully weaving Balfour at Riverfront Park into Denver’s urban fabric alongside the expert incorporation of a historic building into the community’s overall aesthetic resulted in its victory in the “Best CCRC” category.

We think there are a lot of seniors who want to enjoy what a dynamic metropolitan area has to offer and still have new adventures and experiences.” Michael Shonbrun Founder & CEO of Balfour Senior Living

The Concept

Plans for Balfour at Riverfront Park took shape under the idea that an upscale senior living community with a continuum of care would be well-received in a metropolitan setting—yet in 2005, the concept was a bit ahead of its time.

“There were an awful lot of both equity groups and lenders who thought the idea was preposterous—that an urban site in an affluent area wouldn’t be successful,” Schonbrun says. Photo Credit: Balfour Senior Living Courtesy of: Lindsay Mitchell

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in seniorSenior livingLiving Senior Housing News 3133 In fact, after the land was purchased, bringing the idea to fruition seemed next to impossible, he says. An initial equity group had done its due diligence, executed joint venture agree- ments and reimbursed Balfour for some of what had been put down originally to secure the land and finish

Photo Credit: Balfour Senior Living architectural drawings for the project. Courtesy of: Lindsay Mitchell But in January 2008, a few months

prior to the crux of the Great Recession, the group pulled out. This was followed by 50 or more rejection notices from other investor groups and banks.

“We spent almost three years keeping the project alive and looking for a new investor group,” Schonbrun says. “We didn’t really have much success, and we didn’t find our potential partner until late in 2011.”

Though the concept at first seemed unthinkable to outsiders, Balfour’s persistence paid off, and it anticipated the desires of today’s senior, says Dan Cinelli, Principal and Executive Director of planning, design and consulting firm Perkins Eastman and one of the judges for the 2015 SHN Architecture & Design Awards.

Photo Credit: Balfour Senior Living Courtesy of: Lindsay Mitchell

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in seniorSenior livingLiving Senior Housing News 3134 “At the end of the day, it really is a plot of land had previously been utilized shining example of what I think more as a dog park and apartment dwellers and more seniors want, which is urban were unhappy about the potential of integration versus being in a beautiful obstructed views. Still others were age ghetto somewhere,” Cinelli says. concerned about how close to the lot “The more you can do things like this, line the senior living community would even if it takes 10 years—that really be situated. makes a difference.” Following an extensive mediation The Construction process with elected representatives of surrounding condominium associations, Following years of rejection and Balfour had to compromise: Windows relentless dedication, construction were slated for the side of the building began on Balfour at Riverfront Park in where views might have been disrupted March 2012. Balfour originally budgeted and certain areas of the building were $78 million for the project, financed at moved farther from the lot line, 40% through debt and 60% equity. The effectively shrinking the central plaza loan was a seven-year, non-recourse and eliminating a pedestrian bridge. construction mini-perm loan at a fixed interest rate, with a completion guarantee Despite the headache, though, the provided by Balfour. delay proved a blessing in disguise.

Despite secured financing seemingly “We had to go back and totally redesign giving the greenlight, though, it wasn’t the building, which added both time all smooth sailing. The train depot on and expense to the project,” Schonbrun site, for one, required more rehabilitation says. “But that also meant that when than expected, Schonbrun says, largely we finally did get it built, Denver was on due to crumbling bricks and a the road to recovery, as was the rest of deteriorating roof structure. However, the country, and if we had gone with the disgruntled neighbors proved to be the original plan, hadn’t had the neighbor project’s main roadblock. issue or hadn’t lost our original investor, we would have opened the building in Balfour at Riverfront Park was the last the middle of the recession. So it wasn’t to be built as part of a neighborhood all bad for us, but I can’t say it was part redevelopment project. As such, the of any master plan.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in seniorSenior livingLiving Senior Housing News 3135 The Completion

The first phase of Balfour at Riverfront Park was completed in October 2014 after nearly 10 years in development, with the remainder of the project wrapping up in early 2015. Costs came in below the original $78 million budget at just less than $77 million, and the finished product was downsized by about one-third at the request of Balfour’s partner. Whereas initial plans called for 278 units, including some skilled nursing beds, the finished product consisted of 112 independent living units, 65 assisted living units and 28 memory care units for a total of 205. Parts of it are very historic, very contextual to the time, yet there are other spaces where you know you’re not in your father’s retirement community anymore” Michael Shonbrun Founder & CEO of Balfour Senior Living

To date, about three-quarters of the independent living units have been filled, and occupancy for the assisted living and memory care units is on track, “but not yet where we want to be,” Schonbrun says.

Balfour hasn’t yet realized its return on investment with the Riverfront Park community, Schonbrun says, but the provider is still ahead of pro forma. Plus, original projections called for full stabilization within three years of opening.

“Everyone is very pleased with the results so far,” he says. “I’ll be pleased when we’re full.”

Beyond the numbers, Balfour at Riverfront Park has exceeded expectations in other respects, including breaking down generational barriers, says Jeff Anderzhon, a senior planner and design architect with Eppstein Uhen Architects and a judge for the 2015 SHN Architecture and Photo Credit: Balfour Senior Living Courtesy of: Lindsay Mitchell Design Awards. Plus, incorporating the Moffat Depot into the design is nothing short of “commendable.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in seniorSenior livingLiving Senior Housing News 3136 Photo Credit: Balfour Senior Living Courtesy of: Lindsay Mitchell

“From an aesthetic standpoint, the designers wove new work into the fabric of the surrounding area,” he tells SHN. “It’s not overly contemporary and respects the design of the older buildings, yet it meets to contemporary needs of residents.”

The west wing of the mid-rise building features a penthouse bar for independent living residents to enjoy views of the Platte River and the surrounding area, and the east wing has an outdoor deck for assisted living residents. Meanwhile, the interiors are “exqui- site,” Cinelli says, boasting a seamless transition from the outside in and excellent use of antiques and color.

“Parts of it are very historic, very contextual to the time, yet there are other spaces where you know you’re not in your father’s retirement community anymore,” he says. Overall, Schonbrun says Balfour at Riverfront Park demonstrates that there indeed is an appetite for high-quality senior living continuums of care in 18-hour and 24-hour cities—and though such projects might end up more expensive, they are definitely worthwhile.

“This kind of project, if executed well, would work in another 20 American cities,” Schonbrun says.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in seniorSenior livingLiving Senior Housing News 3137 Best of Independent Living 2015: Right Site, Right Size

For a market that is no stranger to new real estate development, Azulon at Mesa Verde had an unusually welcome reception when Community Name: it was in the planning stages of its recent Azulon at Mesa Verde senior living project in Orange County, Company: California. Legacy Partners Residential

The 55-plus community was first envisioned Owner / Operator: in 2008 by longtime, family-owned real M.V. Partners, Legacy Partners estate development company M.V. Residential Partners. And while the company has Architect or Firm: completed dozens of retail, commercial KTGY Group, Inc. and other projects over the years and has worked through the accompanying Builder / Contractor: community meetings that come along with M.V. Partners them, this one was met with barely, if any, Project Completion: opposition. December 2014

Not bad for a company that hadn’t Project Size (Sq. Ft.) launched a multifamily housing project in 191,978 more than 30 years.

Photo Credit: Legacy Partners Residential Courtesy of: Kim Baker

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in seniorSenior livingLiving Senior Housing News 3138 And as the company’s first 55-plus development ever, the Azulon at Mesa Verde is 99% occupied and with renewals even better than expected.

The development went fairly smoothly from groundbreaking to today, a success that its owners credit largely to a team of consultants who are expert in building and designing for the aging population, including Irvine, Calif.-based design and architecture firm KTGY Group.

The Concept

Azulon at Mesa Verde is situated in the active Southern California community of Costa Mesa. Nearby waterfront access as well as a wealth of shopping, dining and entertainment options position the greater community as a desirable place to live.

The Azulon site was originally home to an entertainment center including movie theaters and parking, adjacent to a shopping plaza filled with local amenities: a regional grocery store chain, hair and nail salons, restaurants and more.

The original property did not have any debt associated with it, and M.V. Partners first began to envision the project in 2008—right on the heels of global financial crisis. Given the economic situation, the project was held and did not ultimately break ground until 2012, giving the team a crucial window to do the project right.

We had the time to be thoughtful and diligent to make sure we incorporated the best and avoided any weak points” Jeff Reese, Project Manager at M.V. Partners

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in seniorSenior livingLiving Senior Housing News 3139 “We had the luxury of doing the due diligence we needed,” says Jeff Reese, project manager at Costa Mesa-based M.V. Partners. “We surveyed every 55-plus project in Orange County, and some in San Diego. We had the time to be thoughtful and diligent to make sure we incorporated the best and avoided Photo Credit: Legacy Partners Residential any weak points.” Courtesy of: Kim Baker

The original vision was for a walkable community that would serve as a possible downsizing option for local residents. Its proximity to area destinations was a strong selling point from the get-go, as was the buy-in of the community, who was familiar with the development company because of its other projects in the vicinity.

“Particularly because we are directly connected to the retail center, residents can access the grocery store, CVS Pharmacy and all the services in that center,” says Susan Sirota, who leads marketing for the community. “They don’t have to get in their car. They don’t even have to walk through a parking lot.”

Photo Credit: Legacy Partners Residential Courtesy of: Kim Baker

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 40 The Construction

Following the lengthy due diligence process, construction broke ground in mid-2012. The community opened in December 2014 and was fully leased within 12 months. Even through Photo Credit: Legacy Partners Residential Courtesy of: Kim Baker construction delays, a temporary leasing office was established in the adjacent retail center to maintain interest among use—as on-site storage for the residents. prospective residents. Before the “We felt a lot of our residents might be project’s completion, 72 units were downsizing, and they might have extra pre-leased. Today, the 220 units are items. It could be holiday decorations, a 99% occupied with renewal rates that surfboard—a lot of things,” says Reese. are better than pro forma. “Rather than to have to rent a storage No development is without its challenges, unit, this is now on-site where they live.” and while the construction of Azulon It has also provided a new and unforeseen was relatively smooth, there were a few revenue opportunity for the owner. modifications made throughout the process. In integrating the construction into the community, the designers were also First, the site’s adjacency to the shopping mindful of neighbors. A residential center meant that a truck delivery route community in close proximity expressed would cross the walking access to the concerns about the four-story portions center. The development team negotiated of the building, and whether residents with the grocery store anchor tenant to of Azulon would be able to see into the rework the route so that walkability properties of the nearby neighbors. would remain high. Additionally, the design considered Second, the design featured many street traffic and the surrounding area, corners and “ins and outs,” which left says Jeff Anderzhon, FAIA, senior unused space in some areas. As an planner/design architect for Eppstein afterthought, the team decided that the Uhen Architects and a judge on the remaining space could be put to good 2015 SHN Design Awards panel.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 41 “The architects sited the project in a manner that hides the automobiles behind the main building and gives a streetscape that is very appealing,” he says. Other planned features include a saltwater pool, which doesn’t require storage space for chlorine or other chemicals, as well as a two-story clubhouse area with a screening room and state-of-the-art 4K high-def television.

The project was highly amenitized, which was a goal of M.V. Partners. But the design ultimately reflected an appropriate scale, says Dan Cinelli, FAIA, managing principal at Perkins Eastman and a judge on the design awards panel.

“The interiors matched the expectations of what the outside of the building looked like,” he says. “I like the scale of it. It feels intimate, with a lot of nice natural light.”

It’s adjacent to a shopping center that includes a food store and restaurants. This makes sense if you’re providing senior living housing services” Jeffrey Anderzhon, FAIA Senior Planning & Design Architect of Eppstein Uhen Architects

The Completion

Near 100% occupancy and a better-than-expected renewal rate of 95% have led the project team to celebrate its success.

The community, because of the thorough upfront research, considered potential problems before they arose, Reese says.

All units, which span both 1- and 2-bedroom floor plans, include at least one walk-in shower, for example, keeping the aging resident in mind. The entire building is pet-friendly, and is non-smoking—a decision M.V. Partners initially thought might turn off some residents, but which ultimately served as a selling point for new residents who say they love the rule.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 42 Photo Credit: Legacy Partners Residential Courtesy of: Kim Baker

The completed community also includes features and finishes that give it a broad appeal to the community at large. Some portions of the building are four stories, whereas others are just two stories, so that neighbors do not feel residents of the community can see into their living spaces from the fourth-story windows. The design also acknowledges a busy thoroughfare that is nearby, and limits the window exposure to that street.

The decision to preserve heritage trees from the original site was also made. This involved boxing and maintaining the trees during the construction process and replanting them into the community once it was finished.

“From an aesthetic standpoint, it has a good basic Southern California vernacular design and it fits well within the community of Costa Mesa,” says Anderzhon.

“What set it apart for me is its location with regard to community amenities that residents might participate in,” he says. “It’s adjacent to a shopping center that includes a food store and restaurants. This makes sense if you’re providing senior living housing services.”

While M.V. Partners does not have any immediate plans to develop again in the 55+ category, the owners are happy with the success of the project and agree it was a “right-fit” for the community and for those who live in Azulon.

“If you give the right product in this demographic, [the residents] are probably not going to be compelled to move,” Reese says. “It’s a very stable resident mix and we like that.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 43 Best of Repositioning 2015: An Intimate ‘Boutique’ CCRC

Nestled among high-end homes on a quiet, residential street in Los Altos, California, you’ll find The Terraces at Los Altos. Community Name: The Terraces at Los Altos Today, the buildings that house The Terraces Company: at Los Altos’ assisted living, skilled nursing D2 Architecture and memory care units fit in with the nice homes that surround them. But renovating Owner / Operator: American Baptist Homes of the West ABHOW (ABHOW)’s continuing care retirement Architect or Firm: community (CCRC) from its original design D2 Architecture proved a herculean task. Builder / Contractor: ABHOW, a nonprofit that plans to merge Vance Brown Construction with be.group, currently has 49 total com- Project Cost: munities in California, Arizona, Washington $26,000,000 and Nevada — 11 CCRCs, 34 affordable housing communities and four third-party Project Completion: assisted living communities managed by Phase 1 - April 2014 ABHOW. Phase 2 - January 2015

Project Size (Sq. Ft.) 59,000

Photo Credit: D2 Architecture Courtesy of: Conni Morey

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 44 The Terraces at Los Altos was the provider’s first community — Pilgrim Haven — built in 1949, before the city of Los Altos was even incorporated. Back then, the community was surrounded by orchards; now, it is located within a single-family home development.

Pilgrim Haven used to look more institutional, BEFORE like a hotel, with white siding and “clearly out- dated” buildings. Now, it has a California crafts- man exterior and resembles “gorgeous high-end townhomes and cottages,” architect Elisabeth Borden, principal at The Highland Group and a 2015 SHN Design Awards judge, tells Senior Housing News. She and her fellow judges Photo Credit: D2 Architecture conferred the 2015 Best Repositioning honors Courtesy of: Conni Morey on The Terraces of Los Altos. “The most successful repositionings are those where the owners and architects dreamed big, refused to compromise, and believed in their ability to pull it off,” she says.

The Concept BEFORE ABHOW decided it needed to make some chang- es at Pilgrim Haven, which was renamed The Terraces at Los Altos in 2010, almost 15 years ago. At that time, although the campus was still “beautiful,” a lot of the buildings were from the 1950s and 1960s and needed to be brought up to current code requirements, says The Terraces at Photo Credit: D2 Architecture Courtesy of: Conni Morey Los Altos Executive Director Rae Holt.

The buildings also didn’t meet the expectations of today’s seniors. ABHOW wanted to be committed to person-directed care, and to make the community have less of an “institutional feel,” according to Russell Mauk, ABHOW’s vice president of design, construction and redevelopment.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 45 The vision involved bringing all of the skilled BEFORE nursing residents together in one building on the same floor, as well as grouping all of the residents who needed memory care support into their own household. ABHOW hoped this would lead to more of the staff’s time and energy being directed towards the residents, as opposed to running around the campus.

Photo Credit: D2 Architecture Courtesy of: Conni Morey The plan also involved building one of the first two “neighborhood model” skilled nursing facilities in California. In this model, bedrooms open up into the main common areas, improving sightlines for the staff while encouraging residents to engage with one another.

ABHOW’s intention to keep the buildings small and intimate reflects The Terraces at Los Altos’ location within the community at large.

“We’re actually very fortunate, I think, being in a residential neighborhood,” Holt says. “It makes our community feel residential.”

As Holt and ABHOW found out, however, it can be a challenge to receive support from local neighbors for such a major project.

Photo Credit: D2 Architecture Courtesy of: Conni Morey

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 46 The Construction “They could have chosen to compromise much of what made their new design The project broke ground in July 2012. special, in the face of the insanity of The roadblocks during construction initial neighborhood opposition, started early — and rarely let up. setbacks, height limits, construction duration limits, traffic management, For a relatively small site — about six provisions, parking restrictions, excavation acres — there were a “shocking limits and dozens of other roadblocks,” number” of zoning and city conditions Borden says. “These people had the of approval restrictions placed upon it, courage and commitment to persevere as well as neighborhood opposition, and effectively work with the myriad according to Conni Morey, the creative restrictions through town hall work director at D2 Architecture, the Dal- sessions and neighborhood committees las-based architecture firm that worked and groups.” on The Terraces at Los Altos.

These restrictions included a severe More specifically, ABHOW worked to coverage limit, height limits, landscape address this myriad of challenges with screening requirements, a total six town hall-style neighborhood work construction duration limit, phasing sessions, nine public hearings, three restrictions, design review stipulations, neighborhood landscape committee storm water detention and treatment meetings, and several neighborhood requirements, traffic management individual and small group meetings. provisions, noise limitations, excavation ABHOW also made a conscious effort limits, headlamp management restrictions to develop a close relationship with for night shift employees, development county fire department officials, city incentive requirements, parking restrictions staff and California Office of Statewide and “an extremely lengthy process of Health Planning and Development proving compliance with all these officials, Morey says. restrictions,” Morey says.

Still, ABHOW persevered and never lost sight of its goals.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 47 The overall project also involved reorganizing residents. Following years of haphazard growth and addition of buildings, the property’s skilled nursing residents were housed across several buildings on campus and memory care residents were mixed in with the general population of both assisted living and skilled nursing.

Coordinating the transitions for current residents living at The Terraces at Los Altos during construction, therefore, proved a challenge, but one that ABHOW was able to tackle effectively. Our own residents who lived here at the time were completely committed to the effort” Rae Holt, Executive Director at The Terraces at Los Altos

“Their transition plan ensured that current residents would have to move only once, as new buildings were organized,” Borden notes.

Keeping resident satisfaction high was important in maintaining community-wide support for the project. Luckily, resident support for the project was not difficult to come by.

“Our own residents who lived here at the time were completely committed to the effort,” Holt says. “Seeing residents who will be affected was important in winning the community’s approval.”

What can other senior housing companies glean from ABHOW’s experience in Los Altos? Stick-to-itiveness can pay off.

“I think other properties considering repositioning could learn lessons in perseverance and commitment from ABHOW’s experience in redeveloping The Terraces at Los Altos,” Borden says.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 48 N

interaction.

0’ 25’ 50’ 100’ The Completion

Phase 1 of the repositioning, which included two skilled nursing neighborhoods with 14 and 16 beds each, 16 memory support apartments, 2 assisted living apartments and the assisted living common area and kitchen, was completed in April 2014. Phase 2 of the repositioning — 28 assisted living apartments, plus some living areas — was completed in January 2015. The completion of Phase 1 and Phase 2 was a $26 million, 59,000-square-foot project.

Once Phase 3 — independent living — is completed, The Terraces at Los Altos will have a total of 30 skilled nursing, 16 memory care, 30 assisted living and 105 independent living units.

The community’s intimate scale makes it “almost a boutique CCRC,” Mauk says. “I think that’s going Photo Credit: D2 Architecture Courtesy of: Conni Morey to be the unique thing about it: the scale,” he adds.

The project’s scale makes it stand out, according to Dan Cinelli, the principal and executive director at Perkins Eastman and a 2015 SHN Design Awards judge.

“The scale of the project is really nice, it’s sort of an intimate series of continuum spaces that are linked,” he tells SHN. “If you were to go from assisted living to long-term care, the distance between those two spaces isn’t far away.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 49 This can be comforting from the perspective of a family member or visitor, as it can soften the blow that a resident has moved up the continuum of care.

“It’s the same entry, so if someone was coming to visit you, it wouldn’t feel like you’re in a different level of care,” Cinelli says.

The tallest building at The Terraces of Los Altos is just three stories tall, and most of the buildings are only one or two stories tall. This allows the community’s residents “to simply feel like they are just another neighbor in a great neighborhood,” Borden explains.

“The architecture firm succeeded in creating new structures that look far smaller and more residential than they actually are,” she adds. “The new assisted living and skilled nursing building appears from the outside to be gorgeous high-end townhomes and cottages. Not only is this exterior architecture very attractive, but it is a perfect fit with the surrounding

Photo Credit: D2 Architecture homes.” Courtesy of: Conni Morey

That’s another thing that impressed the judges: ABHOW’s dedication to regionalism. Understanding regionalism is key, Cinelli says. You can’t just choose a picture in a book and say you want a community to look like it.

“So many of the submissions, if you didn’t tell me where it was located, I wouldn’t know where it was located,” Cinelli says. “That white siding could be anywhere. Now, the transfor-

mation of the buildings really does make them Photo Credit: D2 Architecture Courtesy of: Conni Morey look like California.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 50 Best of Post-Acute 2015: Genesis, Mainstreet Push the Envelope

Nestled near the foothills of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado is a rehabilitation and therapy center that is making waves as Community Name: the new standard in the sub-acute PowerBack Rehabilitation, Lafayette marketplace. Through a round of firsts, a Company: familiar developer well known for its Mainstreet hospitality-focused facilities completed PowerBack Rehabilitation, Lafayette—a Owner / Operator: rapid recovery center that feels more like a Welltower Inc./Genesis HealthCare hotel than an institutional care facility. Architect or Firm: American Structurepoint, Inc. The 99-bed skilled nursing transitional care center is a concept from a company that’s Builder / Contractor: already made a name for itself as an Meyer-Najem Construction forward-looking developer, Indiana-based Project Completion: Mainstreet. The project is the first foray in May 2015 Colorado for Mainstreet, and is one of the company’s namesake Next Generation Project Size (Sq. Ft.) properties. 69,685

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 51 It’s also the first time Mainstreet has partnered with operator Genesis HealthCare [NYSE: GEN], the company behind PowerBack facilities, which currently are located in the Northeast, Texas and Colorado.

Offering specialized rehabilitation services in a unique setting with high-end amenities, in close proximity to a hospital, the final product is one that reflects the changing tastes of health care consumers. PowerBack Rehabilitation is not only a new endeavor for Mainstreet, but the development also marks an important segue into specialized care for the company.

The Concept

Mainstreet has built its reputation by changing the care model to serve patients in a sub-acute setting, after a patient is discharged from a hospital or other acute care setting. The name of the game at the PowerBack Rehabilitation is a short-stay focus that transitions patients from rehabilitation and therapy to their own home where they can continue to recover.

The property boasts 99 beds over 69,685 square feet, and was designed to reflect it surroundings, from the materials used to the size of rooms and colors. The facility is likened to a boutique hotel with services that are built around the needs and desires of guests.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 52 PowerBack is the culmination of Breaking into new territory is not new for Mainstreet’s efforts to complete a the company, however, which has long project with Genesis over the last few set its sights on innovative products to years. The facility is only the second reshape senior living and health care Colorado project for Genesis. products.

“The vision for this project was to work “Mainstreet is one of those companies in conjunction with Exempla, which has that has come out of nowhere, and their hospital located virtually across the they’ve done a good job of understanding street from this location,” says Dennis that if you do have a short-term rehab Dechow, vice president of construction program, it has to be at the highest & asset management at Mainstreet. standard of hospitality,” says Daniel “We found Lafayette to be one of those Cinelli, principal and executive director at compelling communities where we Perkins Eastman, an international envisioned partnering with a hospital planning firm, and one of the judges for system to bring our transitional care the Senior Housing News Design Awards. focus to the community. And what Creating new partnerships was a big win better way to do so than to be right for Mainstreet, as the company saw a across the street on the same need for this type of facility across the campus?” market. The “sub-acute” end product, as

While this is Mainstreet’s first Colorado Dechow calls it, will continue to be a project, the company is currently growing need in the continuum of care, considering additional projects within he says. the state and beyond. “In the health care market today, the

“This is one of our first projects in acute care providers are looking for Colorado, and so for us, we wanted to sub-acute options for their guests and be able to expand our presence outside patients when they leave their acute care of the Midwest,” says Dechow. “That setting,” says Dechow. “They are looking was certainly one of our goals—to be for a results-oriented option to take and able to develop successfully outside of refer their client base for that continued our Midwest base.” care.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 53 The Construction

Building an innovative specialized care center so near to mountain terrain is no easy feat. One of the biggest challeng- es the project presented was in the building stage, right down to the dirt. Before construction could even begin, the site needed soil remediation. Photo Credit: Mainstreet Courtesy of: Ashley Mattox

“The site was improperly filled in the past,” says Dechow. “We had to come in and undercut the building pad by eight feet and turn the dirt over, recompact it and build it back up before we could ever start construction. We knew about it ahead of time, but it was certainly a challenge.”

The soil mitigation process took about two months, beginning in December 2013. While starting a development project in the winter is a gamble for any developer, the project turned out well, with completion of the entire facility in just over 14 months. Compared to Mainstreet’s other developments, this timeline was slightly longer due to the issues with the soil at the location.

Photo Credit: Mainstreet Courtesy of: Ashley Mattox

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 54 The budget for the project was $16.6 million, provided in part with a construction loan from PNC Bank. In another first, this was the first construction loan provided for Mainstreet by PNC Bank.

In addition to soil issues, Mainstreet also had to adjust to develop in a new state with different regulations. Part of the process involved educating local municipalities that securing a skilled nursing license did not mean the company was going to develop a nursing home, says Dechow. Introducing a new product proved to be an obstacle that Mainstreet had to overcome prior to development. However, Dechow also noted this is a fairly common experience when working in an area new to a business.

The placement of the building was also very important to allow sunlight and enable guests to experience the vistas of the surroundings. Mainstreet worked with a group to place the building correctly on the site and ensure it was in concert with common roads.

I think this is where the industry needs to be at every level of the continuum” Dan Cinelli, FAIA Principal & Executive Director of Perkins Eastman

“We didn’t have free reign to put this in any orientation,” says Dechow.

Once the details were in place and the soil was ready, Mainstreet worked to make the building fit in with its surroundings by focusing on even the smallest details, such as matching the color palette to the tones in the surrounding landscape and utilizing natural elements in the design. The exterior of the building is stone with muted tones Photo Credit: Mainstreet Courtesy of: Ashley Mattox and browns that mimic the Rocky Mountain foothills.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 55 The Completion

The final look of the facility, which opened in May 2015, is one that is markedly different from what most people might think of when it comes to rehabilitation.

“I don’t feel like I’m in an institution,” says Cinelli. “They are good at making the vernacular blend in with the geography through the use of stone. If you were to show the entry photograph to someone and say here’s a hotel we will be staying at next week, you would say that’s a nice place. But it’s actually a short-term rehab facility.”

The building holds a two-story rehabilitation gym located off the front lobby, which allows guests to feel the synergy created by the unique placement of the property. The front lobby attempts to capture the natural elements of the surrounding area, with high ceilings and lots of seating to welcome guests and their families.

Photo Credit: Mainstreet Courtesy of: Ashley Mattox

There are a variety of dining options for guests to choose from, with restaurant-style dining, a pub, a cafe and an on-site chef. The restaurant-style dining room also features a herringbone floor, creating a feeling of a contemporary lodge. In contrast, the pub is highlighted with sleek lines and modern accents.

These higher-end amenities and multiple

options that are more reflective of the hospitality Photo Credit: Mainstreet Photo Credit: Mainstreet Courtesy of: Ashley Mattox and hotel business are becoming more sought Courtesy of: Ashley Mattox after by baby boomers and others utilizing specialized health facilities.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 56 “When you look at the wine bar or the Upon completion of the facility, it was dining room, they did a great job purchased by Welltower Inc. (NYSE: matching the interior expectation with HCN), one of the “Big Three” health the outside,” says Cinelli. “It matches care real estate investment trusts the expectations of that new consumer.” (REITs), allowing Mainstreet to recapture its investment. There is also a parlor available where guests and their families can visit, relax As the winner of SHN’s Design Awards and enjoy each other’s company. The within the skilled nursing and room features circular tables and post-acute category, Cinelli says the rustic-styled ornaments. Guests also PowerBack Rehabilitation is helping set can spend time in the theatre or the a new standard in the industry. game room with poker games and movie night. “I think this is where the industry needs to be at every level of the continuum,” “It’s a real change,” says Cinelli. “ It’s a says Cinelli. “I think every one of the major change of expectations for not winners is pushing the envelope of only the consumer that is going there, where the industry needs to be, and but also the adult children who go see anyone that doesn’t have a product that their mom and dad in this type of mirrors the new standard will have a environment. I also think more baby problem.” boomers will have a higher need for this type of facility and care.”

The most important aspect of the facility is its rehabilitation gym that promotes healing and wellness and is situated off the front lobby. The facility also holds an outdoor rehabilitation courtyard for recovery.

Photo Credit: Mainstreet Courtesy of: Ashley Mattox

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 57 Best of Stand-Alone Memory Care 2015 Setting a New Standard

A 3-year-old boy came to Abe’s Garden last September, on the first night that visitors were welcomed to the new memory Community Name: care building in Nashville. He clambered on Abe’s Garden the rocks and felled trees in the expansive Company: courtyard, until he paused to say, “I love it Abe’s Garden here. Can I come back tomorrow?” Owner / Operator: “I don’t know many communities that hear Michael Shmerlingl that very often,” says Kim Hawkins, principal with Hawkins Partners Inc. and Architect or Firm: Manuel Zeitlin Architects the landscape architect on the project, who witnessed the moment. “That was a clue Builder / Contractor: we were doing something right.” SKANSKA

Doing things right had been a firm guiding Project Completion: principle of the team behind Abe’s Garden August 2015 since the very beginning. And that’s one Project Size (Sq. Ft.) reason why the project took nearly a full 36,000 decade to go from concept to reality.

Photo Credit: Abe's Garden Courtesy of: Beth Zeitlin

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 58 Those years were spent poring over research about the latest theories and practices in memory care, collaborating with designers, touring existing communities, and convening leaders from medicine, senior housing, and academia to provide input.

The vision was to offer not only the highest quality of care for residents, but create a center to continually test new practices and disseminate knowledge about memory care, says Executive Director Andrew B. Sandler, Ph.D.

The very fact that Abe’s Garden has an executive director with a doctorate under- Photo Credit: Abe's Garden scores its dual purpose, to be a first-rate Courtesy of: Beth Zeitlin senior living provider but also a research and teaching hub to help set new industry standards. Hence its full name: Abe’s Garden Alzheimer’s and Memory Care Center of Excellence. The community is well on its way to achieving its lofty goals, in the estimation of judges in the Senior Housing News Design Awards.

The vision was to offer not only the highest quality of care for residents, but create a center to continually test new practices and disseminate knowledge about memory care” Andrew B. Sandler, Ph.D, Executive Director at Abe’s Garden

The Concept

Abe’s Garden is named after Dr. Abram C. Shmerling. A prominent Nashville physician, Shmerling established one of the city’s first fully integrated medical clinics. After an 11-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease, Shmerling died in 2006 at the age of 79.

Seeing the need for innovative, evidence-based memory care instilled a sense of mission in Shmerling’s son, Michael, a successful entrepreneur. With the help of a team that included his sister Judy, Michael led the effort to create Abe’s Garden.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 59 The concept began to take firmer shape when Park Manor, a seven-story retirement community built in 1962, came on the market. Michael Shmerling zeroed in on this 7.4-acre property as a potential building site and formed a nonprofit corporation to purchase it and develop Abe’s Garden.

Photo Credit: Abe's Garden Courtesy of: Beth Zeitlin “The request for [Park Manor] bids had two criteria: mission and price,” says Zeitlin. “They sold it to Abe’s Garden. We were first in mission and third in price.”

With the location secured, the stage was set for architect Manuel Zeitlin, a distant cousin of Michael Shmerling and brother-in-law of Beth Zeitlin, who now is director of marketing and development at Abe’s Garden. The architect was not only aligned with the project as a family connection, though; his firm of Manuel Zeitlin LLC is known for out-of-the-box designs that made them a fitting choice for a project that was looking to create a new template for memory care, rather than adopting existing design principles.

Photo Credit: Abe's Garden Courtesy of: Beth Zeitlin

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 60 Photo Credit: Abe's Garden Courtesy of: Beth Zeitlin

To accomplish this, the architect jumped into research. He attended conferences of the Pioneer Network, which advocates for culture change in senior care, and he connected with people such as Betsy Brawley, who has authored books such as “Design Innovations for Aging and Alzheimer’s.”

Vanderbilt University’s Center for Quality Aging was another institution involved early-on in Abe’s Garden, and it continues to play a part, collaborating on areas such as resident assessment, staff training, and quality monitoring and improvement. “I read every piece of literature I could get my hands on,” Zeitlin says of the conceptualizing phase. “What came out of it was that most of what’s out there about design was anecdotal.”

This influenced the emerging designs for the building, which would be constructed beside the existing Park Manor tower. Abe’s Garden would include three different “households” that would offer distinct, controlled environments that over time could generate data on a whole array of design elements.

“We can gather data on different lighting, for example,” Zeitlin says. “[We can evaluate] how it affects the amount of food residents eat, their amount of sleep.”

The approach to lighting design is representative of the comprehensive push for innovation that the development team undertook. Mike Shmerling sponsored a dinner in Washington, D.C., to bring the Abe’s Garden team together with about a dozen leading lighting researchers, Zeitlin says. Ultimately, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute took on Abe’s Garden as a lighting design project.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 61 Rensselaer’s Mariana Figueiro, Ph.D., Awards panel. “I think that’s great developed the 24-hour lighting scheme because it involves the residents in for the community, based on the existing social interaction because they have a lighting research for people with common base.” Alzheimer’s. Her scheme is meant to reduce glare and shadows, help regulate Before construction got underway, the circadian rhythms, and reduce falls. concept underwent another round of significant revisions based on a meet- “It was one of those things that took us ing—called a charrette—with a a lot longer than someone saying we cross-disciplinary group of experts, need seven lights here, four here, this is including gerontology researchers, what’s cost effective, order the pack- aging care design authorities, a senior age,” Beth Zeitlin says. care operator, and others.

Despite the importance of research, the One of the changes to come out of that idea of course was not to create a meeting related to a central component sterile, lab-like setting for residents. The of the design, which was that the three designers were at pains to create a households would be arranged around residential feel, and the architecture and a central courtyard that would provide a design were tied closely to program- rich outdoor experience for resi- matic innovations. For instance, the dents—the garden in Abe’s Garden. households were themed: “Connection Originally, the concept was that people to Nature,” “Arts & Lifelong Learning,” would come into the building from a and “Music & Movement.” Each main entrance and then move through includes features to support related the interior to each of the different programming—such as a working households, taking the courtyard out of greenhouse in the nature-oriented play unless people decided to step household. outside.

“It’s a trend that has been in Europe for some time, and now it’s being translat- ed to facilities in the U.S.,” says Jeff Anderzhon, FAIA, senior planner/design architect for Eppstein Uhen Architects Photo Credit: Abe's Garden and a judge on the 2015 SHN Design Courtesy of: Beth Zeitlin

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 62 At the charrette, environmental psychologist/gerontologist Lorraine G. Hiatt, Ph.D., questioned this aspect of the design, according to Manuel Zeitlin.

“Her point was, when you go to visit someone … you walk through their front door,” Zeitlin says. “So, let’s have everyone walk through the courtyard and enter the households through a front door. Well, what about when it’s raining or snowing? What do you do when you visit friends? You wear a coat or umbrella. We’re not trying to insulate or overprotect. We’re trying to allow residents to experience and enjoy each moment as much as possible.”

We’re not trying to insulate or overprotect. We’re trying to allow residents to experience and enjoy each moment as much as possible” Beth Zeitlin, Director of Marketing and Development at Abe’s Garden

The Construction

Part of the long gestation period for Abe’s Garden was due to the intense research that informed the design, but construction also depended on identifying the right contractors—and raising the $14.4 million needed for the project, which included renovations to the existing Park Manor building.

The fundraising campaign began in earnest in 2008, just before the bottom fell out of the economy. For about two years, most of the local Nashville foundations paused all their capital funding, Beth Zeitlin says.

At the same time that the capital raising campaign was working in this difficult environment, there was a switch in the main contractor for the project. Originally, a local contractor had been secured; while there were no significant issues with this contractor, the architecture firm had a relationship with multinational construction company Skanska.

Skanska embraced the Abe’s Garden mission and, more than the original contractor, was able to contribute the kind of innovative construction solutions needed to realize the ambitious goals of the project—for example, taking the time to find the right roof shingling to create the desired residential feel on a commercial property at the needed price point.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 63 Price was crucial not only in terms of meeting the project’s budget, but because the Abe’s Garden team was committed to creating a building that would be replicable. They wanted Abe’s Garden to be a community that other organizations could reasonably copy in their own markets.

Originally, the project was intended to be done in two phases, but Skanska also determined that doing all the work at once would save $1 million in construction costs.

“We knew the longer we waited, the more construction costs would increase and that we would deepen our debt,” Zeitlin says. Photo Credit: Abe's Garden Courtesy of: Beth Zeitlin

So, even without all the needed capital in hand, ground was broken. Ultimately, the capital campaign raised about $11 million, and the rest of the costs have been financed through tax-exempt bond financing through Suntrust Bank.

The Completion

The Abe’s Garden grand opening occurred in September 2015, after a year-and-a-half of construction. On day one, there was a waiting list for all 42 spots.

The completed building is noteworthy not only for its evidence-based design but for moving away from a traditional look and feel, with crown moulding and columns, to incorporate a more modern and eclectic aesthetic. It echoes some of the 1960s design features of the existing Park Manor building, such as an orange-shaded brick, and a striking interior design by Perkins Eastman.

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 64 “I really liked the contemporary people really thrive. It’s a great campus approach to it, they weren’t trying to for younger people that develop mimic the past in any way,” says John Alzheimer’s.” Cronin, AIA, principal with AG Architecture and a judge in the Senior As for the design feature that is his Housing News Design Awards. “You favorite, Sandler speaks highly of the can do it contemporary and still do a dining room and kitchen layout. In each cozy environment, with different places household, they are close to the to sit and gather in groups, but not resident rooms, allowing people to make it institutional in any way. The ambulate to meals and enjoy the smells right furniture and color combinations of cooking food. are important, because [memory care Hawkins singles out the Nature Discovery residents] can get agitated and so there area of boulders and felled trees in the are nice soothing colors and lighting courtyard and the overall connection of transitions, flooring transitions, moving the indoor and outdoor spaces. from space to space, there’s a nice flow to Practically every room has a window, everything.” maximizing the natural light, and the

Some memory care buildings do try to programmatic nature of the design replicate a certain past time period, carries through to the outdoors, where Manuel Zeitlin notes. Abe’s Garden activities include gardening and cooking does not, to keep the building relevant out on grills. as new generations of residents enter “The access to the courtyard was and also because there already are superior, it was superb,” Anderzohn mixed generations living there. affirms. “They paid attention to detail The oldest resident turned 105 in there.” January, and the community has welcomed early-onset residents in their Abe’s Garden appears to have 50s, Executive Director Andrew succeeded in its goal to be a model for Sandler says. future memory care communities, he adds. “The campus is so large and expansive, with so much room for activities, oppor- tunities for gardening and walking dogs,” he says. “Physically healthy

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 65 The project is one that he wants to keep tabs on, Cronin says, noting that his own personal experience with an aunt convinced him that gold-standard memory care—in which the physical environment supports therapeutic approaches—can have positive cognitive effects.

While the building may be complete, the project of Abe’s Garden is really just getting underway, Sandler says. No design features already have been flagged for changes, he says, but he and his team embrace a mindset of continuous improvement.

“Many do things they way they’ve always done it,” he says. “For us, it’s always been about a process that is evaluative. See what’s working, what’s not, and change in response.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 66 CONCLUSION

There are infinite possibilities for innovation within the realm of architecture and design. The overarching themes today such as wellness, flexible environments and dining can be interpreted and executed in countless ways, as demonstrated by the seven winning communities.

The trends of today will give way to the trends of tomorrow, as senior housing contin- ues to evolve in the years to come. The biggest challenge for designers and architects today is to anticipate the expectations of the future consumers and to create communi- ties that these generations will want to call home. As successive generations age and consider a move into senior housing, the industry will have to adapt to the wants and needs of each new group of consumers.

To be relevant in 10 or 20 years, developers and operators need to rethink everything about how we offer housing and services” Elisabeth Borden Founding Principal for The Highland Group

“To be relevant in 10 or 20 years, developers and operators need to rethink everything about how we offer housing and services,” says Elisabeth Borden, Principal with research, planning and marketing solutions firm The Highland Group. “Boomers are not the same as their parents. It isn’t simply a matter of substituting a different set of trend- ier common space amenities, such as an Internet cafe instead of an ice cream parlor or a spa instead of a beauty parlor.”

Hottest Architecture & Design Trends in Senior Living Senior Housing News 67 SENIORHOUSINGNEWS.COM