Outdoor spaces have become an integral part of senior living communities, as owners, developers, and architects realize the added value of recreational amenities as differentiating factors that may help a senior choose one particular site over another.
In nursing homes of the 1960s through 1980s, seniors were lucky if they had access to a bench out front or a small courtyard. Over time, properties began to include a gazebo on a stretch of grass, or perhaps some outdoor seating with a bubbling fountain. Other communities might have a walkway from one building to the next, and another might provide some sporadic tables and chairs. Many times these outdoor spaces seemed like afterthoughts, a way for the business to say it offered opportunities to be outside without really doing all that much planning.
Today, though, as the demand for senior housing goes up, so do the expectations of the seniors who live there. Owners and operators are looking to design and development professionals to help them cater to these evolving needs, especially as they work to understand the major differences between the expectations of the silent generation and the baby boomers. The silent generation hasn’t historically demanded outdoor amenities, resulting in spaces and programming that are less developed and accommodating and, subsequently, residents spending little time outside. Today, though, boomers have come to expect these features, as they typically have them at home. Knowing these nuances helps contribute to the creation of environments that attract seniors who live a very active lifestyle, as well as seniors who simply enjoy the outdoors. That—coupled with outdoor resort-style amenities influenced by the hospitality industry—is a formula for success.
Complexities of design include considerations for environments to change with the seasons, areas to extend dining outdoors, and spaces where a community can entertain residents and where residents can entertain their own guests.
Year-round use
Outdoor amenities might include bocce ball areas, putting greens, tennis and pickle ball courts, dog parks, event lawns, or entertainment patios. Communities can exercise playful creativity when analyzing their residents’ needs and design options, but it’s not solely about what kinds of spaces and features can be added. Architects must also consider solutions that answer to the change of seasons and create areas that are comfortable regardless of outside temperature.
With that goal in mind, more communities are opting for a “four seasons” room, as its design allows operators to adjust the space based on the weather. If it’s unbearably hot or bitterly cold, they can enclose the space, yet still have that patio feel and view. If it’s a beautiful day, they can open the windows and allow fresh air inside, within a screened-in porch. These spaces can be equipped with heating and cooling systems, making the temperature of the space adaptable and comfortable. Heated flooring options are ideal additions for communities located in notoriously cold climates, while motorized shade curtains, misted cooling systems with fans that disperse water into the air, proper solar orientation, and overhangs to optimize solar benefits can all play a role in improving comfort.
Additionally, these spaces can be finished with entertainment systems, fire places, and small bars.
Dining out
Dining outdoors has become a popular activity for today’s seniors, while the silent generation was more accustomed to formal, sit-down occasions. To provide that type of desired venue and consider comfort levels, more and more communities are using enclosed patio areas as additional dining spaces because the environment can be controlled. Others have put outdoor dining areas around fire pits and fireplaces, extended seating from an indoor bistro or café to an outdoor space, or placed seating by grilling and pool vicinities.
For example, Franklin Park Alamo Heights, located in San Antonio and scheduled to open in August, has an outdoor dining venue that features a private courtyard with a tranquil fountain. This restaurant is situated on the second level of the community, giving it an elevated, rooftop feel. Dining venues located on upper levels create a differentiator in the marketplace, as they can leverage views while at the same time act as a beacon to the larger community about the lifestyle found within. Outdoor rooftop decks are also popular for entertaining, and designs should consider creature comforts in regard to wind and shade, with orientation being critical. Solid overhangs or open trellises can be used to manage light, while movable walls and curtains can be manipulated to deflect or direct breezes.
Additionally, communities must consider temperature and furniture when making design decisions. The idea of dining al fresco isn’t always supported in the way that it should be—for example, metal tables and chairs placed in the hot sun aren’t very inviting. These considerations along with heating and cooling systems will inspire seniors to spend time outdoors.
Be entertained
Seniors take pride in the spaces they use for entertaining guests, and communities should take pride in the spaces they create to entertain their residents. Companies are trying to attract prospective residents from their homes—homes that may have outdoor entertainment luxuries. So it’s important to appeal to seniors with features similar to what they already have.
For example, Nakoma Sky, a community situated north of Tucson, Ariz., expected to be completed in 2018 or 2019, includes a yoga lawn, a sculpture garden, courtyards with splash pools for children, dog parks, hiking trails through the surrounding desert landscape, a playground, fireplaces, barbecue grills, outdoor dining venues, an aerobics pool, desert gardens with local plant life, as well as an infinity pool. Next to this pool is an outdoor room with a misting water curtain with spray jets and a rear projection video system that can present movies, still images, or lighting scenes for entertainment and social gatherings in the evening. Additionally, an artisans pavilion will be home to an outdoor and shaded balcony boasting expansive views to the desert mountain landscape. Other concepts in use within the industry include open lawns that serve as a blank canvas for a variety of purposes, such as farmers markets or exercise classes.
To determine the right fit for a community, it’s important to consider solutions that are appropriate to residents’ life experiences and capabilities. Appropriateness embraces both cultural and geographical affinities—what’s appropriate in New York might not be appropriate in Arizona, for example.
Designs should provide a choreography of experiences, too. How will seniors move through the community at various times of the day? Where are the kitchens located?
Where does the sun rise and set? What areas offer visually appealing views? The answers to these questions will help determine where to place outdoor amenities. For example, situating outdoor entertainment spaces by a community’s front door opens the property up, drawing in neighbors for events. Those unfamiliar with the campus may feel welcomed and intrigued by the activities occurring outside. It’s an easy way to market a brand and give a taste of what’s offered.
Inside to out
The relationship of a community’s interior architecture to its outdoor spaces should be seamless and an extension from one to the other. The human spirit longs for and requires a connection to the outdoors, as it provides a sense of well-being and a confirmation of time and place.
Extending an indoor room to the outside through glass or openings or enhancing the interiors by bringing in natural exterior materials into the design can seamlessly integrate one space with the next. Expansive windows allow natural light to permeate rooms and create a visual extension of a space. Natural lighting also reveals textures and patterns through shadows and cues residents to the time of day.
Integrating interior architecture with outdoor spaces contemporizes a community by emphasizing modern values and aesthetics, and it reinforces the transparency and openness that we seek in our everyday lives.
Rocky Berg is principal and director of senior living business development at Three: Living Architecture (Dallas). He can be reached at berg@threearch.com.