North Andover, MA – Levi + Wong Design Associates, Inc. served as senior and healthcare architects, interior designers, and landscape architects, for Edgewood Retirement Community’s recent campus upgrades. As Edgewood Retirement Community’s website notes, the facilities provide “quality housing, supportive services, and health care while fostering an environment which ensures all residents freedom, dignity, independence and security. “
The Edgewood’s mission statement and Levi + Wong’s design philosophy were natural complement. Levi + Wong eldercare focus is on creating safe, supportive, and engaging spaces, in which staff feel empowered and all seniors, regardless of physical or cognitive abilities, can engage. This understanding was at the core of the designs for the social day center, new wellness center, the renovation of the Meadows, and at the heart of the project was the new 15,000sf, 40-bed memory support Garden View addition.
Attached to the Meadows, Edgewood’s skilled nursing unit, the Garden View unit’s unique physical layout is characterized by the “open” floor plan created by a glass enclosed central courtyard and the use of half-walls throughout the public areas, which was a result of intimate collaboration between residents, staff, and the design team.
The strategically placed nurses’ station allows for staff to have an almost full view of highly used public spaces. Unlike a traditional, double loaded corridor unit, where staff has to leave the nurses’ station to make sure that residents are safe. While members of the Garden View staff are engaging with residents in activities, others can unobtrusively oversee the rest of the unit for resident’s who may be wandering. The open, flexible public spaces are used for eating (at the participatory kitchen), music performances, exercise, and reminiscing sessions.
A private sitting room with fireplace and fish tank is a welcoming, relaxing atmosphere and is frequently used by residents. Located adjacent to the nurses’ station, this space is frequently used for relaxing after meals and for family visits and opens into a secure memory garden with a trellis, bird feeders, and a rock garden.
Open public spaces and resident rooms are distinctive and amenable to personalization. The appropriately contrasting colors and memento filled memory boxes at the “front doors” provide visual cues for those who wayfinding assistance.
Using a residential aesthetic, the resident rooms each have built in a closet, dresser, cabinetry to reduce clutter and allow for personal items to be brought from home.
Every room has a bathroom including a European shower with vibrant colors to help distinguish the fixtures from the background.
Members of the proejct team included Margulies Peruzzi Architects, prime and core and shell architects; Trident Project Advisors, Edgewood’s Project Representatives; and Eckman Construction, Construction Managers and General Contractors.
Since opening in January 2010, the Garden View has been fully occupied with positive reviews from both residents and staff.
Levi + Wong Design and Edgewood are conducting a Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) that will assess the extent of residents’ socialization, participation, communication, performance of tasks, and interaction with staff and fellow residents. The full findings will be presented at the May 5th “Map Through the Maze” Conference hosted by the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Association.
