CREJ - Healthcare Properties - June 2016
The architecture of communities 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 consideration 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 interacts 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 visually 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 facility 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 materials, textures and colors, and varying window sizes and patterns also creates architectural interest. Tall landscaping provides privacy, screening and visual dimension for both interior and exterior spaces. Outdoor spaces and courtyards. Outdoor 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 entertainment for all ages, and outdoor dining areas are appreciated on nice days. Interior spaces that serve all audiences. Once inside, the following amenities can go a long way toward helping 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 friendly 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 dining hours. Wellness facilities are great multiuse 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 encourages 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 theater room where adults can enjoy one another’s company without the pressure 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 windows 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 relaxation 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 rehabilitation 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 consideration. Doing so will help provide the best living situation for residents, working experience for staff and more enjoyable visits with loved ones.