Senior housing design has come a long way in the past 25 years or so, says an architect who has designed skilled nursing facilities, independent and assisted living communities, and memory care wings among other senior care-oriented projects.
Link Wilson, co-principal of Minneapolis-based Kaas Wilson Architects, has seen “dramatic changes,” reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and expects the industry will continue to evolve as senior living communities continue to incorporate and improve memory care services and add enhanced amenities such as theaters, cafes, fitness/wellness centers, and restaurant-style dining rooms.
Senior housing is “night versus day” compared to when Wilson began his career as an architect.
“Housing then resembled hospitals: two beds in a room separated by a curtain, a shared bathroom and long, sterile white hallways,” he said in the article. “Today, we focus on giving residents choices and creating small homes within a larger home-like neighborhood. We think about silence, natural light, views, interior gardens flowing out to exterior patios, and access to assistance without ringing a loud alarm or switching a flashing light over a hallway door.”
His design firm is experiencing “enormous” demand and is growing thanks to favorable demographics and other factors, he said.
Read the full interview here.
Written by Alyssa Gerace