Going beyond green: Sustainability for seniors

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[["b"],["i"],["strong"],["em"],["a",["href","http:\/\/www.stantec.com\/","target","_new"]],["a",["href","http:\/\/www.stantec.com\/our-work\/projects\/united-states-projects\/n\/newbridge-on-the-charles-intergenerational-community-and-the-rashi-school.html#.VhLWr_lViko","target","_new"]]],"sections":[[1,"h2",[[0,[],0,"\n\n"],[0,[0,1],2,"\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In today\u2019s sustainable building environment, the connection between a\nbuilding and its surroundings has become an important element of the overall\ndesign. But for the senior community, that interdependence is even more\nessential. The landscape surrounding senior living facilities creates\nconnections, between residents and each other, visitors, staff, and the\nrestorative power of nature itself."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Carefully chosen building\norientation and sight lines, plantings, materials, walking path routes, and\nother elements provide those connections in a way that is safe for a population\nwith varying needs and challenges \u2013 from memory care, to mobility, to desire for human\nconnections and companionship."]]],[1,"h3",[[0,[],0,"Designing a safe, comforting space"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"One of the most important\ndesign considerations for many senior living communities is memory care. Many\nsenior care facilities are now designed around that concept, with\neasy-to-navigate hallways and connections, a familiar, home-like environment,\nand colors and signs to help with direction. That interior focus is matched on\nthe exterior with a landscape that also meets the needs of residents with\nmemory challenges. For these types of communities, the landscape design often\nbegins by targeting residents\u2019 typically stronger long-term memory. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Therapeutic gardens are\ndesigned to create a recognizable and comforting environment made up of\nmaterials that are common in the area where most residents come from and, thus,\nfamiliar. In New England, using wood fencing and trellis, familiar paving\nmaterials, and plants found in people\u2019s\ngardens at home create that familiarity."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"To combat the safety\nconcerns associated with lapses in short-term memory, these materials are\ncarefully selected for safety, presenting no danger if touched or ingested. In\naddition, looping paths, rather than dead ends, connect outdoor spaces to help\nresidents navigate their way back to entrances or familiar seating spaces. The\noutdoor space can be enjoyed passively by sitting and watching birds and\nbutterflies, eating meals, or visiting with others; or they can be enjoyed more\nactively through the walking paths, gardening opportunities, or lawn games."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"What\u2019s more, the landscape is designed to also appeal to residents\nwhose mobility restricts them to spending most time indoors. Architects and\nlandscape architects work hand in hand to pair appealing outdoor areas with\nappropriate building spaces, such as having long-term-care areas overlook\nactive gardens so residents who have to stay inside can still enjoy the\noutdoors."]]],[1,"h3",[[0,[],0,"Using the landscape to make connections"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"That was precisely the\napproach taken at NewBridge on the Charles, a senior living community in\nDedham, Massachusetts. The community\u2014which ranges from independent living cottages to a\nlong-term care facility\u2014shares its campus with a private elementary school.\nThat makes the landscape critical in both connecting the generations as well as\nmaintaining some privacy between them."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Accordingly, site features\nand connections to the school correlate with the needs and interests of the\ndifferent types of residents. For instance, 1.5 miles of walking trails along\nthe perimeter of the campus and the Charles River, community gardens in raised\nbeds, playground spaces between the school and residential buildings, and\nathletic playing fields situated close to the assisted living and\nlong-term-care areas provide opportunities for seniors to enjoy socializing\nwith or watching kids play, whether they\u2019re\ninside or out. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The naturalized landscape\nwas designed to foster shared environmental education as well. That allows\nseniors to volunteer in nature programs at the school, kids and seniors to get\ninvolved in gardening and restorative planting efforts, and both the young and\nold the opportunity to walk the trails and learn about their surroundings from\nthe many interpretive signs. Those signs educate residents, students, and\nvisitors about the 100 preserved acres of natural habitat surrounding the\ncampus, including natural meadows, vernal pools, and a stormwater\nbest-management practices system that includes the reuse of roof water for\nirrigation."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"On the flip side, site\nplanners were also careful to integrate the location of the school and its\nsupporting buildings so they preserved the individual identities of the school\nand senior communities. With the entire campus built to universal standards,\nseniors can easily move from one site to the next for events, volunteer\nopportunities, and other activities. However, buffer trees and other vegetation\nseparate the school from more private areas of the NewBridge campus to ensure\nthe kids aren\u2019t too disruptive to residents."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"A purposely designed\nlandscape \u2013 one that makes the connections between site and\nresident wellness \u2013 is creating a truly sustaining and sustainable sense\nof well-being for senior residents that goes well beyond the contribution that\ngreen design alone can make."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[2],1,"About the author"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[3],0,"Joe Geller, FASLA, is a landscape architect and vice president at\n"],[0,[4],1,"Stantec"],[0,[],1,". Based in Boston, Joe oversees Stantec\u2019s planning and landscape architecture business in the United\nStates. Over the course of his 30-year career, he has been involved in all\naspects of project management, site master planning, and design, including the\ncomplicated permitting and development of the "],[0,[5,3],2,"NewBridge on the Charles"],[0,[3],1," community."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\n\n"]]]]}