2013 Competition Winners
“Reinventing HOME” is made possible through a grant to the American Institute of Architecture Students by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President’s Grant Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION Homes worth living in should lessen all vestiges of depersonalized, transient, institutional care characteristic of acute-care places such as hospitals. At the same time, these new residences should provide the infrastructure to support state-of-the-art medical therapies when they are prescribed. The American Institute of Architecture Students would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President’s Grant Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation.
Places worth working in should deal sensitively with amenities valued by staff working in this new community. The challenge facing long term care today is how to balance these two needs in light of an increasingly discerning clientele with declining assets. Designers familiar with the complexities of delivering long-term care will in the future be in great demand as boomers, the generation of our parents, become eligible for these services. The competition asks for designers to give shelter to those who have lived fully and given freely. They now deserve and need our care. Reinventing HOMEŠ is that opportunity to give these elders a dignified place, infused with beauty and a special sense of wonder. WWW.AIAS.ORG/REINVENTINGHOME
Pacific Frontier: Pioneers in Senior Living
FIRST PLACE, $2,500 “Pacific Frontier: Pioneers in Senior Living” Ana Cristina Escobar & Daniel Garcia 2nd Year Students, Texas A&M University Advisor: Susan Rodiek
Integrating Levels of Care Pacific Frontier accommodates residents of varying capacities by mixing skilled nursing and assisted living residents in shared households. Seniors may already feel segregated by having to live in a retirement home, so it only seems logical that they shouldn’t be segregated once they move in to one. In order to mix residents, a more flexible floor plan is used to allow for different levels of care. It also allows residents to ‘age in place’ without them having to worry about moving to another room or home. This promotes a sense of community that encourages residents to interact more with each other and to establish long lasting relationships. Mixing levels of care also avoids the anxiety that residents face when they begin to require more care. The community can also maintain full capacity of residents with this concept. Choice is Power Pacific Frontier is the pioneer in this new movement of reinventing senior living that is focused on giving the power to the residents! We offer customization of living space with modular furniture that can be arranged to individual preference. Residents have options such as roll-in kitchenettes, window seats, and other a la carte care services for special needs. In addition, residents are invited to bring as many of their personal belongings as they wish to make themselves feel more at home. Staff are People too The staff workplace is enhanced at Pacific Frontier by personalizing the work environment for employees with a homelike setting to work in and a play area for their children. Pacific Frontier is a HOME before it is a business. To make this possible, the separation of staff and residents is reduced to a minimum so staff do not think they are coming to work at a facility, but instead their second home. To accomplish this, staff will have work areas that are in the common rooms of the households. This setting will feel more like working at home than working in an office. Also, by mixing levels of care, Pacific Frontier has the opportunity to increase staff efficiency from mixed acuity. This will allow staff to gain experience in various settings with different tasks. Mixed acuity encourages staff to experience all types of roles, a practice being promoted today by the “Greenhouse Model.” They will then have the opportunity to establish relationships with more of the residents they work with daily. A Multi-Generational Community Pacific Frontier attracts the surrounding community with walking trails through the forest that lead to the beach. Lush gardens, indoor and outdoor lounges to watch evening sunsets, and a multi-purpose room big enough to house group activities for residents and visitors also draw the community in. These spaces will attract not only families to visit, but also encourage younger generations to come and join in the festivities. These activity spaces are centrally located to encourage social interaction between residents, staff, and visitors of all ages.
Beacon Pines Design Essay Beacon’s Big Picture To accommodate residents of varying capacities, Beacon Pines will offer both skilled nursing and assisted living units in separate pods, where community members are surrounded by others in the same season of life. The close proximity of resident rooms to common areas and staff locations helps create a friendly, family environment. Full service packages will be available, as well as a list of a la carte services for those individuals who do not need full care. Services can be added at any time to accommodate for changing physical and mental needs and encourage aging in place.
SECOND PLACE, $2,000 “Beacon Pines” Abbe Emerson & Amie Akers 2nd Year Students, Texas A&M University Advisor: Susan Rodiek
Whistle While You Work The ‘pod’ style community is intended to help develop personal patient/staff relationships, and make the care of the residents feel less like an ‘assembly line’. This gives employees a sense of purpose, and helps them become invested in residents’ lives. In turn, this helps reduce the level of staff turnover. In addition, Beacon Pines will offer free childcare and use of the workout facility (incorporated into the physical therapy area) to all staff members. The childcare facility will not only be an asset to workers with children, but also give residents the ability to enjoy the company and care of young people. Community Connections In order to attract the residents of Bandon, Oregon and nearby communities, Beacon Pines will offer various walking paths, gardens and a lighthouse that are all open to the public and allow for handicap accessible beach access. This will attract visitors to the site and encourage interaction between the community and Beacon Pines’ residents. In addition, the facility’s multi-purpose room will be large enough to host events that are be open to the Bandon community such as performances by local theatre and dance groups, or a weekly Bandon bingo night. Setting Up for Success All bedrooms and common areas in the community have been designed with views of nature and natural sunlight in mind. Large, bright windows, picturesque views and landscaped outdoor spaces will encourage residents to leave their rooms and experience the natural beauty of Oregon. Common areas are designed to encourage movement throughout the building, while still giving staff easy access. A back of house area for staff only will help to keep ‘behind the scenes’ activities out of the way of residents and visitors. The lighthouse, ocean front, and trails are accessible by foot for residents who are physically able to walk, as well as by golf cart with staff assistance for those who wish to explore but are unable to do so independently. Flexibility at Its Finest In order to accommodate for changes in use, rooms are able to be easily manipulated. All furniture is removable so residents may bring their own belongings to personalize their space if they wish. Common areas such as the multi-purpose room are able to support many functions such as special occasion dining, social gatherings, movie nights, or guest performers. The lighthouse will also be able to be used as a viewing point, destination, or place to meet friends for lunch.
Sun and Stone: A Case for Spatial Sequencing through Thermal Variation
INNOVATOR’S JURY AWARD, $1,000
“Sun and Stone: A Case for Spatial Sequencing through Thermal Variation”
Jeffrey Bak, Chloe Schultz, & Sean Flaharty 4th Year Students, Auburn University Advisor: Christian Dagg
“When the sun is warm on my face and the breeze is cool, I know it is good to be alive” (Lisa Heschong, Thermal Delight in Architecture). As Lisa Heschong explains, thermal delight in Architecture is an important source of information and pleasure within the built environment. This proposal for a Long-Term Care facility, located on the Oregon coast, applies the idea of thermal variation to expand the sensorial experiences typically constrained by the built environment. With the thermal sense, Heshong argues, “there seems to be a simple pleasure that comes with just using it, letting it provide us with bits of information about the world around, using it to explore and learn, or just notice.” By designing variety throughout thermal zones this proposal also establishes a narrative for how the space is transformed by scale and programmatic flexibility. Just as the thermal sense “contributes to a fuller comprehension of other sensory information” the variety in social spaces contributes to a more fluid and accessible environment. Aging in place is prioritized, as fully equipped residential units accommodate multiple levels of care. The units, housed in two large containers for living, are further organized into small neighborhoods that foster social interaction. The socio-spatial corridor of the container acts as an interior street, dispersing residential units among pockets of social activity and essential staff support. Room units are finished with domestic, tactile materials, and feature fully accessible bathrooms, level thresholds, wide doorways, and floor to ceiling glazing. Despite an inherent openness, residents are afforded a sense of privacy by the two, massive, concrete walls that visually shield the residential volumes. Centered between the walls, the hearth of social activity provides an internal psychological warmth that is contrasted by the coolness of the thick concrete walls along the periphery. The primary structural elements also conform to this logic by maintaining a rigid grid along the linear residency plan, but following a free plan along the central interior spaces to accommodate more flexible activities. Likewise, a variety of partially enclosed exterior spaces provides not only expressive views and ample natural light, but also expands the functional interior spaces, as in the wellness garden and the private staff courtyard. Thus, the organization of spaces throughout the facility, coupled with key moments of sensory activation, creates an environment that is designed for wellness, as opposed to illness. Residents are provided with varying levels of not only privacy and social interaction, but also a range of temperatures to enjoy. Family members are encouraged to visit the facility - as the Pacific Ocean provides the backdrop for an afternoon outdoors with loved ones. Easily navigable interior streets, large centralized staff spaces with smaller secondary and emergency support spaces, and the privacy of enjoyable exterior spaces also alleviate the staff’s complex range of duties. Thus, while the facility fully accommodates its user groups it also provides an intentionally varied thermal environment to focus the attention of both residents and staff, in order to solidify memory and experience.
The design of an assisted living facility is a balance of privacy for the resident, a central gathering space for communal living, and an efficient and well organized series of work stations for the care-giving staff. For the resident, the focus is to offer a range of options for daily living which support the needs of the individual while also fostering independence and providing opportunities for interdependence.The resident bedrooms are primarily single occupancy rooms, with an opportunity for partners or friends to share a double occupancy if desired. Each room allows the resident to bring their own furniture, a “memory box” at their door, a private bathroom, low windows to view the outdoors and a private patio, all with a view to the ocean. Multiple seating areas offer residents opportunities to engage with others in small or large groups, or to have a meal or cup of tea by themselves inside or out, if they desire. An activity room is available in each house, which allows for groups of residents to meet concurrently, basing their connections on shared interests instead of living proximity. This space could also be used for private family and friend dinners or birthday parties, as a chapel, or as a home theater environment. The landscaped garden terrace on the west side of the site provides opportunity for exercise, group activities or quiet reflection.
MOVING BEYOND THE PROGRAM JURY AWARD, $1,000 “Life, Health, and Social Inclusion”
Erin Fox Master’s Student, University of Oregon
Instead of being segregated into a different building, each residential building has an administrative office for one or two senior level administrators. In research conducted over the past several months, I have determined that there is a direct correlation between an engaged and responsive administrative staff and their active involvement with the day to day activities of the staff and residents. I believe that by facilitating communication in this way, there is an immediate increase in the happiness of the caregiving staff, thus increasing morale and decreasing turn over. The Farmstead supports a number of the goals of the concept of this facility. First of all, one of the major industries in the area is agriculture. It can be assumed that many of the residents who will be living here have a previous relationship with farming in some capacity. Providing an opportunity for the residents to feel needed, to participate to their fullest ability and to have an opportunity to nurture living things will enrich their lives. Furthermore, the remote location of the site, while scenically gorgeous, would under most circumstances be extremely isolating for the residents. A farm manager and employees from the community would be on staff, and the opportunity for a relationship between the farmstead and one or more of the local FFA chapters (formerly the Future Farmers of America) creates inter-generational interaction as well as making the Farmstead an enjoyable destination for many people in the community. The Wellness Clinic also offers a range of services for the residents and community members. Two of the three hospitals in Coos County contract out all of their therapy and rehabilitation needs - the third offers in house services about 45 minutes away. A properly staffed facility on the premises would certainly add a great asset to the community at large and help to support the existing healthcare facilities in the county. The adjacent day spa and salon services would also be open to the community. Finally, the Community Room is primarily imagined as a space for larger gatherings of all the residents - such as dances or major holiday events, however other viable uses include day care for children or older adults who are still living at home but may require some care or who wish to have more active interactions. The space also houses a library and computer center for those residents who wish to maintain lifelong learning. Ultimately, this complex offers a range of activities, opportunities for multigenerational interaction and most importantly, a sense of purpose to the residents who live here. Enriching the lives of seniors of varying capacities is a daunting task, but finding ways to give a sense of purpose and peace to our elders is of the utmost importance.
AIAS Reinventing HOME A Living Community
UNIQUE SENSITIVITY TO SITE OPPORTUNITIES JURY AWARD, $1,000 “A Living Community”
Patrick Barendt 3rd Year Student, Drexel University Advisor: David Ade
Located on the Oregon coast, this Long-Term care home aims to reinvent the way that living facilities are designed for the elderly, the staff, and the visitors alike. Based on a simple unit plan giving every user a calm view of the Pacific Ocean, the building straddles the border between the dense coniferous forest and the rough cliff leading down to the ocean. Split into three sub-structures connected by a circulation spine, staff spaces are divided into three service spaces to assist varying degrees of elderly needs. Atrium cores are created within each sub-structure to bring light into the lower level, provide views out into the forest, and to better aid vertical circulation through the use of ramps, stairs and elevators. The spaces between the sub-structures allow for outdoor patio spaces and welcoming places for visitors and users to gather, with ample views of the ocean and the forest at hand. Within the building, spaces are constructed for the gathering of users and their visitors to sit and talk outside of their individual units. This building organization allows for optimum interaction and enjoyment of the building’s users, staff, and visitors, providing a new way to integrate a long-term care facility into its site. The building is divided into private spaces on the west of the circulation spline and public and service spaces on the east. This allows private units and gathering spaces to be given therapeutic views of the ocean, while more communal spaces employ the natural views of the surrounding coniferous forest. Located on either end of the spline are two nodes; the Health and Wellness Center on the south end, and the Chapel on the north. Users are assigned rooms based on their necessary level of care, with the least independent users located close to the Health and Wellness Center or on the lower level close to the majority of service areas. Dining is located in the center sub-structure for easy access, and the lobby is placed in the northern building close to the drop-off zone and parking. The atrium cores provide a platform half way along the length of their ramps for resting and gathering of users moving between levels. The building interacts with the site in such a way as to give users a connection with the vitality of the forest and the openness of the ocean and sky. Pitched butterfly roofs bring in light and allow views to both sides of the site, while the atrium cores provide a feeling of openness to the sky. The building follows the contours of the site, except where the Health and Wellness Center vaults across the creek at the southern end of the circulation spline to allow users, in what could be the most depressing area of a conventional home, to enjoy the grand vistas and beauty of the living world before moving onto another. Visitors and staff that have lost loved ones may find solace within the chapel, located at the northern end of the circulation spline, or within the exterior courtyards, providing therapy through the celebration of the site’s wonders.
We are grateful for the wisdom and generosity of our jurors for the Reinventing HOME Competition: Stuart Barber, AIA, LEED AP
Project Architect/Senior Living, MacMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture Design
Kaye Brown, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assoc. Professor, Anthropology, Boston University
Richard C. Duncan, MRP
Executive Director, The R.L. Mace Universal Design Institute
Alan L. Moore, AIA
Principal, CJMW Architecture
Patrick Mooney, Ph.D, FCSLA, ASLA, CELA
Associate Professor, University of British Columbia, UBC Landscape Program President Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture
Kindall A. Stephens
Winner, 2012 AIAS Student Design Competition