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Welcome to the Blueprints for Senior Living Newsletter |
| Greetings!
Welcome to DFA 2010!
At the end of every year, we pass the leadership of DFA to the next advisory group member in line and it is with great pleasure that I introduce Eric McRoberts, AIA, your 2010 chair.
As in years past, stewardship of DFA continues to support the Design for Aging Review competition. In the 3rd quarter of 2010, the next DFAR book (cycle 10) will makes its debut at the Fall AAHSA convention and the jury will present the results of two post occupancy evaluations of award winning projects.
Jim Warner, Vice Chair, continues to lead local component development with new locations in Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC to complement the original four (Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia). If you are in these cities, your support is greatly appreciated.
Joyce Polhamus and her staff have completed the formatting of the POE Toolkit. In addition, a new student competition targeted at 3rd and 4th year university students as well as post graduates interested in senior housing has been finalized and is in early stages of circulation at architectural departments nationwide.
New for 2010 is the collaboration of DFA with AAHSA in the reformatting of their Trends publication to include highlights of the DFAR award winners, and the addition of content rich articles on trends, traditions, construction data, and project analysis. John Gould is our coordinator with AAHSA and our newest advisory group member Stefani Danes will lend her expertise in research and data mining.
And I've saved the best news for last. At the end of 2009, the reorganization at AIA National with the sudden departure of our knowledge community staff surprised all of us and the last few months have been turbulent for DFA. However, as one door closed, another opened, and we are indeed thankful for the outreach from AIA| DC to provide the administrative support that we so urgently needed. Without reservation, AIA| DC stepped up to the plate to adopt this KC and to design a pilot program for other state chapters/knowledge communities to follow.
As this new relationship solidifies, DFA and Eric McRoberts will need your involvement and support.
If you have specific skills in technology, consider the opportunities in newsletter and website development to keep our members informed.
If you have specific skills in communications, consider involvement with the Trends magazine in content development and editorial skills. If you're people oriented, start a new DFA state component.
If you have specific skills in research, consider involvement in data mining and local post occupancy evaluation projects.
If you have skills in marketing, fundraising, sponsorship recruiting, you can move to the head of the class!
Challenges are opportunities in waiting. If you have ideas, can take on a task (or two), be self-motivated, then DFA needs you. Take a chance and get involved. You will meet the nicest people.
I guarantee it.
Ingrid Fraley (2009 DFA Chair) |
 First Urban Green House Project Opens
The project is a six- story, $38 million building with two apartments per floor located in Chelsea, MA - a very dense city just across the river from downtown Boston. The Green House homes, fully licensed as a skilled nursing home, take the form of completely independent 10-bedroom apartments, two per floor, in this urban model. They provide all the same physical and operational hallmarks of any Green House home, including outdoor space for each home, private rooms and baths, and an open hearth area combining a living room, dining room and open-kitchen. All who have seen the project remark on its striking design and sense of being a real home - a significant contribution to the Green House movement from the architects DiMella Shaffer.
The Leonard Florence Center for Living is the creation of the Chelsea Jewish Foundation which has operated the Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home for almost a century just a few short miles from the Green House project site. Both nursing homes serve primarily Medicaid funded elders. Affordability at the Leonard Florence Green House homes is created through charitable support as well as an innovative New Markets Tax Credit financing structure provided by NCB Capital Impact (NCB Capital Impact is the non-profit home of The Green House Project). Two of the Green House homes in the project have extensive technology incorporated to support persons living with MS and ALS - delivering state-of-the-art independence and quality of life. Two other homes will focus on provided specialized care for persons with dementia.
This latest innovative implementation of The Green House model is the 24th Green House project to open to date. Between these 24 campuses, there are now 84 Green House homes operating across 15 states. Another 170 homes are in development on an additional 24 campuses. The developing projects include another 11 states, bring Green House homes to over half of the country. The Green House Projects hopes to find partners interested in making these homes a long-term care option in every community.
For more information about the Leonard Florence Green House homes and The Green House Project, visit www.thegreenhouseproject.com. For more information about the New Markets Tax Credit program and NCB Capital Impact, visit www.ncbcapitalipact.org. For more information about DiMella Shaffer, please contact Diane Dooley at ddooley@dimellashaffer.com.
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Next Generation: Student Competition
The Next Generation committee has developed a interesting student competition; "Urban Models for Aging" targeted to graduate level architecture students to get them excited about senior living design and engaged in this project type.
The competition poses a unique challenge - design an intergenerational project that includes housing for frail elders and is an integral part of an urban community. It will provide students an opportunity to learn about a project type that is part of a burgeoning market and in need of innovation. The AIA Design for Aging committee is seeking ideas in response to the following questions:
- How can locating intergenerational spaces in a senior community enhance seniors' experience?
- What are innovative ways of incorporating "Small Houses" into an urban community?
- How does the location and program enable seniors stay connected with the greater community?
Our prize will be publication in the upcoming 11th edition of the Design for Aging Review publication, with recognition to the University, School and Professor. The winner will also be recognized for outstanding achievement and will be exhibited at the 2011 AAHSA annual meeting in Washington DC and the 2012 AIA National Convention. The judges will be the same the same jury as the eleventh cycle of the Design for Aging Review competition. The jury committee will be made up of 2 jurors from the American Institute of Architects Design for Aging Knowledge Community and 2 jurors from American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA). The schedule for submission will be concurrent with the 11th biennial AIA Design for Aging Review competition which will be around June 2011.
The competition will be sent to professors at schools of architecture throughout the country in the late summer to coincide with the fall semester. Anyone knowing of schools or professors interested in teaching toward the competition should let us know at joyce.polhamus@smithgroup.com. The competition is also posted on the DFA website. |
Returning Home: The Veterans Therapeutic Garden Program
Steve Mitrione, Associate ASLA, is a practicing family physician with Aspen Medical Group in St. Paul Minnesota. He received an MLA from the University of Minnesota in 2006 and was a research fellow at the College of Design at the University of Minnesota from 2007 to 2009. He is currently serving on the board of the American Therapeutic Horticultural Society. Follow this link to read about his research on the use of therapeutic gardens for returning vets. |
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Green Building and Aging in Place go together like chocolate and peanut butter!
One of the best ways to set a course for the future of your company is to look back on past customers that you best served and most enjoyed working with. When I do this, I see a trend toward working with what we have come to call "empty-nesters." Follow this link to read more from the Green Building Advisor. |
 Calendar
April 21-23, 2010 - The Broadmoor | Colorado Springs, Colorado
NHPCO 25th Management and Leadership ConferenceApril 22 - 24, 2010 - Omni Shoreham Hotel |Washington DC
CASP 2010 Summer Institute
May 24-27, 2010 - The Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch |St Louis, Missouri
ALFA 2010 Conference & Expo
May 25 - 27, 2010 - Phoenix Convention Center |Phoenix, Arizona
AIA National Convention
June 10 - 12, 2010 - Miami, Florida
NADONA's 2010 Conference
June 12 - 16, 2010 - Hyatt Regency |Atlanta, Georgia
NeoCon World's Trade Fair
June 14 - 16, 2010 - The Merchandise Mart |Chicago, Illinois
August 3- 5, 2010- Walter Washington Convention Center| Washington DC |
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ASID article explores link between Universal and Sustainable Design
Author Drue Lawlor Chairs ASID's Aging in Place Council.
"If it's not universally designed, it's not sustainable."
Whether you heard Rosemarie Rossetti make this statement during her keynote speech at INTERIORS 08 in New Orleans or not, stop and think for a moment just what an impact this statement might have on a client's home, on your parent's home and even your own home. Follow this link to read more. |
I enjoyed Leslie Moldow's your article in the last issue- Next Generation - and your call for action among those who share your passion and commitment to the design of places for aging people. Unfortunately the answer to your question of why design for aging is perceived as "not sexy" was contained right beneath your article, in the illustrations accompanying the two articles following.... Not sexy.
I'm not sure design for seniors will ever be "sexy", although there are one or two very hip projects that seem to pop out every five years or so.... It almost seems like middle-of-the-road is sexy for seniors - witness the acclaim heaped upon Mirabella Portland project. As a "market" project it's pleasant, but relatively pedestrian. As a seniors project it leads the league. I'm not sure what that says about the aspirations of those who provide for seniors, the preconceptions accompanying "grandma's house" or the priorities of so many of the designers in this corner of the field, but it certainly says something.
Maybe comparing "sexy" in architecture to senior housing is like comparing surgery to nursing. Nursing probably saves more lives, and contributes in greater measure to our shared quality of life, but doggone it, surgery is sexier. Even images of sexy nurses can't overcome the profession's role - of caretaker, nurturer, helper, and the one willing to do the things others don't want to do. (A surgeon, like the idealized architect, doesn't do anything he or she doesn't want to do.) Caring is nice, and it's good, but it ain't sexy.
I struggle with how design for aging can continue to innovate, how it can celebrate the widening spectrum of design tastes of its rapidly-expanding customer base, how it can dare to look beyond "grandma's house" and dare to envision my house or yours - still aspiring and still contributing. That has to be cool, and would be darn sexy.
Getting others to see that - particularly architecture students or those who enter design competitions - isn't easy. I think we'll have to get them to design for themselves. They think they're sexy. (I'm almost looking forward to the contrast between what architects will design for themselves as seniors versus what they design for the seniors' market.)
Any ideas - about how to lift the expectations way, way beyond those established and predominant? Or are we both asking for exactly the same thing?
As a practice area, and as a knowledge community, we really need to dream bigger.
-- Steven Cox |
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DFA New York Component News
A group including Rick Bell, Carl Puchall, Jerry Maltz, Rich Rosen and Avani Parikh met on February 1 and again Feb 18 at the Center for Architecture in Manhattan. The main goal emerging from these discussions: to explore applications of DFA in urban settings. There are several initiatives at the mayor's office that can tie directly to this goal.
DFA New York will meet once a month, typically on the second Thursday of the month, at 6:00pm at the Center for Architecture (AIANY), though our first meeting in March will be on the first Thursday, March 4th, at 6:00pm. Future 2010 dates are April 8, May 13, June 10, July 8, August 12, Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11, Dec. 9.
Future topics/speakers discussed:
Jeff Rosenfeld, gerontologist, author of the book "Home Design in an Aging World". Last year Sarelle Weisberg arranged for him to speak at the Center for Architecture about his book. He is currently writing another book, "Unassisted Living", which will focus on boomers' attitudes toward aging. Jeff teaches a course entitled "Design for Aging" at the Parsons School of Design in New York.
Jeff Rosenfeld and Wid Chapman (architect, member of the AIANY Chapter) are co-authors of two books: "Home Design in an Aging World" published in 2008, and "Unassisted Living" to be published in 2011. Home Design... takes a global approach in 'rapidly aging' nations; Unassisted... focuses on boomers' preferences in the U.S.
Jeff spoke about various types of facilities for the aging. We inquired about facilities in urban settings, some of which Jeff and Wid characterize as "bistro" living, returning to the urban core. Jeff mentioned a multi-ethnic facility in New Jersey that may be a good place to tour. Jeff suggested that he would be interested in helping to organize a series of Workshops to focus on solutions appropriate to New York City. He also thought it would be good to start a Newsletter. Jeff and Wid mentioned that there is an organization of Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists (CAPS), consisting of individuals certified by AARP.
There was an effort to arrange for a speaker from AARP in NYC for the first meeting. Will Stoner, Associate State Director-Livable Communities, said he could speak on local, county and state efforts to incentives and mandate Universal Design in NYS through ordinances and laws. He also mentioned Jordana Maisel from the IDEA center at University of Buffalo as a speaker on universal design.
Rick Bell is in process of contacting Commissioner Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, Commissioner of the NYC Department for the Aging, to invite her to speak at the Center on April 29th at 6:00pm. If she accepts we can arrange for some members of our Group to meet with her prior to April 29th to discuss the focus of that session. |
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DFA Washington DC Component News
Jeffrey Anderzhon and Ingrid Fraley have had several meetings with Mary Fitch at AIA DC. Initially focused on a component committee the discussion also included broader issues faced by DFA at the national level for funding and administration. Those discussions are on-going and may be pivotal in the future of Design for Aging.
Jeff and Ingrid arranged with AIA DC to schedule them for their April chapter meeting. She has already "polled" their membership, and it looks like they could have as many as forty people working in senior housing who would support the development of a component.
In addition, they submitted a proposal for a session for AIA DC's annual conference (August 3 at the Washington Convention Center) and were awarded a two hour time slot!
So, it will be an April "kick-off" to meet and greet new faces for DFA DC.
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DFA San Francisco
January: Tom Brutting gave a brief report on his speaking engagement at the USC Conference on 'The New Paradigm for Housing in California' along with three other speakers for invited guests, primarily municipalities and development groups in California. The focus was on the rapidly changing demographic to a senior population in the State and the need for housing meeting the needs of that group. It was sponsored by the CA Dept of Housing and Community Development and a synopsis of the action plan developed by the participants will be presented to the Governor.
Diana Kissil, Principal of the Smith Group, gave a presentation on the award winning designs from the 2009 AIA/AAHSA competition submissions. There were 92 submissions and 36 will be published in an upcoming book (slated to be out midyear, next year) of award winners. It is published every other year. 29 will be exhibited (at the AIA Convention and AAHSA Conference, plus other locations). 14 received an Award of Merit, and 3 Special Recognition. Diana emphasized that unlike some competitions the text submitted with each was carefully read and scrutinized for content and applicability to the submittal; not just judging pretty pictures.
The following trends were observed-
- Focus on Wellness areas
- Creation of carefully scaled Hospice environments
- Sustainability
- A 'Back to the City' urban movement
- Diversity of Housing Options
- Adaptive Re-use of older, existing buildings
- Expressions of local vernacular
- Repositioning of existing facilities.
February: Maura Parente gave an informative talk and presentation on a newly designed prefabricated housing unit called 'FabCab'. It was developed as a versatile, multi-use unit of three basic sizes to be used as an accessible dwelling unit on a property. Maura noted that the property preferably should be a minimum of 5000 sq. ft. It is designed using Universal Design features and Maura noted its application to senior living, in terms of it being similar to the former "Granny Flat" of previous years. It enables people to live in a multi-generational setting, typically with extended family on the same property. Maura also noted that there is some possibility of grouping them together with shared health care support for seniors. There was discussion about the type of heating, seismic design, zoning applications, and applicability to urban and/or suburban use. It sits on a basic concrete slab, which is not a part of the system. The 'kit' component will have some versatility of design alternatives, and the entire product is still evolving.
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DFA Philadelphia
January - We had a code session regarding the differences between NFPA 101 - 2006 and NFPA 101 - 2009. It was a presentation and then many questions/discussions regarding the code and what the speakers have run across in their practice. It was the first event of the 2010 year and it was well attended.
February - We had an intimate conversation with Jack and Nancy Carman regarding the Urban Design for Seniors.
March - We are anticipating a tour of White Horse Village CCRC. They have newly renovated projects throughout their campus and we will be touring the Health and Wellness Center. (See attachment)
April - We have scheduled a speaker regarding NORCs. There are multiple NORCs within the city of Philadelphia and we have located one that will speak about her organization.
May - We have scheduled a horticultural therapist to discuss what she does and how it impacts the daily lives of seniors.
June - An organizational meeting for 2010/2011 year.
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DFA Boston
DFA Boston continues to meet the third Tuesday of each month at 5:15pm. Meetings are held at the Boston Society of Architects. The meetings are open to all, free and pizza, beer, wine and soft drinks are served. Attendance typically varies from 15 to 30 plus.
January: Robert Larkin, President of Senior Living Residences spoke at our first meeting of the year. Bob offered his vision for Senior Living and spoke at length about their success in a highly stressed market. In broad terms he sees increasing frailty and acuity in Senior Living and Senior Living Residences have responded by converting Independent Communities to Assisted Living and Assisted Living to Memory Impaired and Nursing Facilities. He believes in culture change but is skeptical about the financial feasibility of Green Houses. It was a lively discussion followed by many questions.
Feb: Our February meeting was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Age Lab. The meeting began with questions from Age Lab researchers to the architects and designers in attendance, what we believed should be the focus of an aging research lab such as MIT's? The consensus seemed to be that most would not want to move to a Senior Living community or facility and would much prefer to remain in their own homes. We then went on a tour to see how this lab was conducting research to accomplish that goal. During the course of the tour, attendees were offered the opportunity to don "Age Suits" which restricted movements, dexterity, flexibility, hearing and vision simulating the experience of a 70 year old person. One of the most interesting areas of research was the work they were doing with transportation particularly aging and driving. Computer tracking of the eye and research on movement has led to numerous recommendations to automobile manufacturers some of which are on the road today. The MIT Age Lab works with businesses, governments and non-profits worldwide, to develop new ideas to improve the quality of life of older people and those who care for them.
March: The Institute for Human Centered Design will host the DFA committee members and Valerie Fletcher the Institute's Executive Director will be the guest speaker.
The lecture will offer an overview of the international movement for universal/inclusive design with an overview of its basis in demographics and global policy, its identity within various cultural contexts and examples of current best practice in a range of built environments around the world. The Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD), founded in Boston in 1978 as Adaptive Environments, is an international non-governmental educational organization (NGO) committed to advancing the role of design in expanding opportunity and enhancing experience for people of all ages and abilities through excellence in design.
May: "Planning and Design Issues for the Aging GLBT Community". A. Jason Geisinger, C.O.O. of Cornerstone Healthcare Foundation and of RainbowVision, a Housing and Assisted Living property to provide for the Aging GLBT Community in Tucson, AZ . Jay has been responsible for management of senior care housing and long term care properties in the New England area for over 30 years and also has served as President of several industry organizations. Marc A. Maxwell, AIA, principal Maxwell Architects, LLC. Marc has been a Board Member of Stonewall Communities Inc., a not-for-profit group creating community and promoting public advocacy for older Gays and Lesbians in the Boston area, where he current serves as Board President and a member of their Real Estate Committee, working to develop affinity based housing for older GLBT and their friends.
July: The July meeting of the Design for Aging Committee will be a little different than the others. The agenda for this meeting will be a discussion with the author of a thought provoking book by Andrew D. Blechman, Leisureville. Leisureville follows an aging Massachusetts couple from their New England Home to The Villages, a central Florida retirement community with 100,000 residents. The author spends several months living in "Leisureville" with a variety of some of its more colorful residents providing the reader with an entertaining view of retirement living in the largest and most successful community of its kind in the country. It also raises serious questions about the social and financial viability of this particular model and the broader implications it has on the retirement community industry in general. Andrew will be joining us via tele- or possibly video-conference depending on the technology available. The book can be purchased from amazon.com in hardcover or paperback for as little as $3.44 (used). Order now while bargains are still available, read it, share with your colleagues and look forward to a fascinating discussion in July.
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DFA Chicago
We have had two planning sessions in January and February, and are on a monthly schedule for our meetings (2nd Wednesday of each month). We haven't had a program yet (other than our kickoff event back in the fall), but I was able to attend a presentation by one of our members (Mary Fran de Rose) to a group of Northwestern medical students who are participating in an Alzheimer's related buddy program (An Introduction to Environmental Gerontology, Applications for Community-Dwelling Alzheimer's Patients), that I have asked her to reprise for our group (a date has not yet been set). We have generated a lot of great ideas that include a broad spectrum of allied groups (everything from interior designers, facility administrators, the Alzheimer's Association, state regulators, etc.). Now we just have to push for the follow-thru. |
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January: We held our first meeting of the year at the AIA Chapter office in downtown Seattle. A planning and business agenda was presented for the year.
-Mark Smedley & Steve Cox met with representatives of the University of Washington Department of Architecture and discussed collaborating on a design competition and other opportunities for DFA outreach within their learning community.
February: February meeting held at the Alzheimer's Association new headquarters downtown. We hosted Asuman Kiyak, PhD, Director of the University of Washington Institute on Aging, who gave a talk on "Emerging Trends in Senior Housing and Long-Term Care Needs of Future Elders" to our group. We continued developing our plans for a Community Conversation on Design for Aging Competition, convening our Sub-committee with a meeting held at NAC Architecture.
March: We will have Bruce Carlson, Media Development Director from AARP Washington conducting a presentation on the 2009 AARP Livable Communities Award Program. Joining him will be Emory Baldwin of ZAI Inc, a Seattle design firm and winner of a 2009 award.
We are planning for facility tours in the months of April, June, and October. We will be reviving our summer Book Club and reading Ray Oldenbergs "The Great Good Place" and ending our year with a Happy Hour toast in December.
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For more information about DFA
Log on to www.aia.org/dfa where you will find lots of information about the Knowledge Community. | |
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| Quick Links to the Advisory Group |
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