June 2016 — Health Care Properties Quarterly —
Page 19
Senior Housing & Care
Colorado’s Leader in Senior Living Quality and Innovation
Recognized expertise in memory care, rehabilitation services,
and tailored approaches to hospitality, optimal health and
wellness, and select high quality housing options.
12136 W. Bayaud Ave. #200 Lakewood, CO 80228 303.238.3838
VIVAGE SENIOR LIVING
Full Management Services • Consulting Partner • New
Development & Design Collaboration • Market Positioning
We create models that reflect exciting
lifestyle choices for today’s seniors.
T
he architecture of communi-
ties and facilities designed for
the aging has a clear impact
on the day-to-day experience
of not only residents, but also
visitors, staff and people passing by
on the street. Yet the needs of the
families who are visiting and the staff
who work long and demanding shifts
are not always given emphasis in the
design process.
It’s important to take into con-
sideration how all of the users will
experience and inhabit the building.
Creating quality spaces that improve
resident, visitor and staff happiness
can lead to increased visits from loved
ones and better caregiving – things
that will improve residents’ well-being
and help combat isolation.
OZ Architecture’s Senior Living
practice area recently conducted an
in-depth exploration of the best ways
to build and design senior living and
short-term health care communities
that provide comfortable and positive
experiences for everyone who inter-
acts in the space – residents, visitors,
staff and even those who only see it
from the exterior.
From the outside looking in.
Creating
a feeling of community and healing
starts from the moment one enters
the site.Well-designed and visu-
ally interesting exteriors inspire and
elevate. The entrance should not just
be about one architectural feature, but
about integrating a sequence of events
and experiences. Even the general
passerby who never enters the facil-
ity will have a more positive response
to the experience if both the building
and outdoor landscaping elements are
well designed and inviting. This can
be achieved by incorporating diverse
design elements
like lighting and
landscaping that
guide individuals to
the entry. Utilizing
alternating materi-
als, textures and
colors, and varying
window sizes and
patterns also creates
architectural inter-
est. Tall landscap-
ing provides privacy,
screening and visual
dimension for both
interior and exterior
spaces.
Outdoor spaces and courtyards.
Out-
door spaces offer an environment
where all users of the facility can
experience a sense of retreat and
relaxation. Additionally, studies have
shown that exposure to the outdoors
can help speed the physical recovery
process for those in rehab settings.
Various outdoor elements will
enhance the experience for everyone;
fire pits encourage community and
congregating, water features provide
visual interest and acoustic ambiance,
small niches with seating allow for
private conversations and meditation,
childscapes with natural elements
like hills and stones let kids to explore
and climb, a putting green provides
low-impact exercise and entertain-
ment for all ages, and outdoor dining
areas are appreciated on nice days.
Interior spaces that serve all audi-
ences.
Once inside, the following ame-
nities can go a long way toward help-
ing facilities designed for the aging
address multiple audiences’ unique
needs while also encouraging public,
semipublic and private interactions.
Eating together unites people and
is a great way to meet new friends or
spend time with loved ones. Having
diverse dining choices on site – from
a coffee bar to a buffet and a formal
dining room to a casual, family friend-
ly deli – means a better chance of
accommodating the individual tastes
of residents, visitors and staff. It also
gives visitors a reason to stay longer,
provides more places to spend time
with loved ones and is particularly
convenient for staff and visitors who
may need to grab a bite at times that
differ from residents’ scheduled din-
ing hours.
Wellness facilities are great multi-
use amenities that can be shared
by residents, staff and visitors alike.
Regaining and maintaining physical
strength is important to residents and
having a space to do so outside of
scheduled physical therapy sessions
is helpful. Additionally, access to a
shower and changing room encour-
ages staff to exercise at lunch or bike
to work. If facilities for medical staff
are provided in the community, that
frees visitors up to spend more time
with loved ones on site instead of
leaving to take them to various doctor
appointments.
Entertainment and places to relax
and have fun will serve all audiences.
These could include outdoor play
structures for younger children, media
or game rooms for teens, and a the-
ater room where adults can enjoy one
another’s company without the pres-
sure of socializing. A “man cave” can
offer a spot to do things ranging from
brewing beer, repairing a bicycle or
playing poker.
Corridors are not just a necessity.
Our research indicates that staff
members spend significant amounts
of time moving through them as they
perform various functions throughout
the building. Rehab staff often utilize
them as well to work with patients
on the way to therapy. As such, it’s
important to keep hallways well-lit
and incorporate elements of visual
interest. Skylights or clerestory win-
dows bring daylight into corridors,
helping connect staff to the outdoors.
They also should be offset with small
resting places so they don’t feel too
long and monotonous. The use of
color is another effective way to help
them feel more comfortable and
provide an individual identity for the
space.
Resident/patient rooms should be
designed to provide refuge and relax-
ation for residents, and offer seating
and space for private visits. Strategic
window placement can create both an
activated area filled with daylight and
a meditative space with diffused light.
Placing windows so they are visible
from the unit’s entry point creates an
inviting entrance for staff and exposes
them to outside light. If possible, a
direct connection or doorway to the
exterior is preferable as it allows the
resident to go from the strictly visual
experience of looking out a window to
the more sensory experience of being
outside.
The best senior living or rehabilita-
tion communities are those designed
with not only a medical perspective in
mind, but also hospitality, and where
the environments and amenities take
the needs of all users into consider-
ation. Doing so will help provide the
best living situation for residents,
working experience for staff and more
enjoyable visits with loved ones.
s
Jami
Mohlenkamp
Principal, OZ
Architecture,
Denver
