Hartford, CT – Amenta Emma Architects recently announced that two of its senior living projects have been recognized by the American Institute of Architects Design for Aging Review (AIA DFAR).
Duncaster Retirement Community
The Caleb Hitchcock Memory Care Neighborhood at Duncaster Retirement Community in Bloomfield was honored with a Special Recognition Award. The addition to an existing Assisted Living Memory Care Neighborhood adds 12 resident rooms and incorporates “small house project” concepts which offer a model for long-term care designed to look and feel like a real home.
Connection to nature was a driving force in the design concept. This was emphasized by bringing the outside in through an abundance of natural light in every space, corner windows that provide two-sided views in resident rooms, and a focused view of a majestic 100-year-old oak tree that is affectionately known on campus as “the Charter Oak” that became an organizing element in the design.
Burnham Family Memory Care Residence
The Burnham Family Memory Care Residence at Avery Heights in Hartford also received recognition for being a “project that offers distinction and notable competency.” Avery Heights is a 45-acre Life-Plan Community, but its 26-year-old facilities had no space or services for an increasing population of residents suffering from dementia.
The renovation of a 10,000sf independent living apartment wing now provides a secure memory care environment for a population previously closed off to opportunity, allowing them to be in an active, engaging living space.
