This article is sponsored by Lantz-Boggio. The article is based on an interview that took place during a live Q&A session with David Fik, President of Lantz-Boggio Architects, at the Senior Housing News BUILD event in Chicago held on November 17, 2021. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Senior Housing News: David, can you give us an overview of the work you’re doing in the senior living space, and the types of settings you are working in?
David Fik: We’ve seen somewhat of a boomerang effect in the last year and a half. There’s a lot of what we saw in the past, like smaller buildings in independent living, assisted living and memory care. We’re still seeing skilled nursing being built with 120-bed buildings as well. There has been an uptick in the urban infill, which includes the mid-rises and high rises, and we’re seeing a lot happening in the active adult area.
SHN: Given your work in active adult, what are some of the drivers you’re seeing, and what makes it so attractive to people that might be here?
Fik: It’s attractive simply because of the sheer number of people who fit into that category. When you talk about active adult, it’s a large number of the population. It’s pretty neat to look and see how that part of our sector is blossoming.
I think the term “active adult” is a little dated though. In these communities, they’re looking for a socialization aspect, a wellness component and they’re also looking for like-minded people. Maybe a “social lifestyle community” is better suited for what they’re looking for. I also think the reduced costs are attractive. It’s a standardization of construction types with less articulation.
The cost of construction is also reduced simply because fewer amenities are required. Fewer amenities mean fewer of the spaces need high-end finishes. Reducing all of that allows a more economical community. Then, with lower acuity levels, you don’t need as many staff members.
The concept of mixed-use has not been fully-adopted in senior living just yet. Active adult offers that opportunity. You can have somebody that’s coming in and activating the ground floor, so it’s the operations mixed in with subletting that to another entity is very valuable. In our industry, we are constantly observing what happens in other industries. For instance, in health care, there was always a centralized hospital, but now it’s starting to break apart and you’re seeing surgery centers and medical office buildings spread throughout the community.
I think active adult can help us in that regard because if you can attract those residents into your system, they might end up in more ideal areas. Maybe they jump over independent living and go straight into assisted or skilled nursing as well.
SHN: I think that’s a really interesting point in terms of the available opportunities for development, and if the entry point is in active adult, how that changes the equation. what kinds of community designs are you seeing to accommodate higher acuity residents and the staff caring for them?
Fik: It’s wonderful being on the architecture side of things because if we know of a problem, we try to figure out a solution. We want to be teammates, and one of the problems in today’s communities is absolutely staffing.
How do we address that from an architectural perspective? We’re seeing a lot more being done with the staff spaces. In the employee break rooms, you’ll see soft seating now in spaces designed for more than just time to eat. The staff need a way to decompress, so to give them spaces that feel even more like the residential areas with the higher-end finishes is important.
One example is creating a room with a computer and printer, almost like a business center. A lot of our workers might not have the luxuries that we do. By creating this little station, staff members can print things out for their children that they couldn’t before. Little things like that say, “I’m focusing on each one of you individually,” rather than just upgrading the finishes.
SHN: One area that’s not often addressed is how design appeals specifically to new residents and prospects. We’ve talked about how design and architecture is catering that experience to someone who might be looking at a community for the first time. How does that come into your process?
Fik: Virtual tours are huge now. My wife and I just bought a home and it was excellent to be able to go in through the house and see each element in the different rooms. That’s what our communities are doing today. They’re saying, “In order for us to give a virtual tour, we have to think in that mindset.” We’re programming it as though we’re walking through the building for the first time. Our goal should always be to consider what it’s like for them. We’re going to start in one part with a multi-use area housing soft seating, a bistro and maybe even a fireplace in the colder climates.
The result is that each person coming into that space for one purpose might see someone they haven’t seen in a long time and start a conversation, which is very healthy.
By creating that opportunity right at the front door, the potential resident is saying, “Wow, this is great. I want to be a part of this as well. I want to make new friends.” That’s what we’re trying to capture. Along the way, vistas create a flow to the tour without any of those long pauses.
SHN: You spoke about some of the adjustments that are taking place in the employee spaces. Could you talk a little bit about where you see us headed in the future with regard to programming as it relates to design for the residents, and maybe how spaces are changing to accommodate that?
Fik: We’re seeing spaces that can be used in as many different ways as possible. I’ll give you a quick example of a multipurpose room that has what I’ll call a “height stage,” that will actually fold out from the wall. When it’s folded up, there are pickleball lines on there. So there are a multitude of large spaces that are now combined into one space.
In the active adult sector, fewer spaces that are multifunctional has led to greater socialization.
SHN: I From a design standpoint, are there any positive, lasting changes stemming from the pandemic, that maybe were born out of necessity, but are actually positive for the future?
Fik: Our mechanical systems can only improve our health over time. Changing those out is going to reduce the number of different viruses that we can catch. Overall, I think that we’re looking at different ways for technology to be implemented.
We were talking today about how to break down dining rooms so that they’re not as massive. What I believe in as an architect is understanding how to compensate for each of the different issues resulting from COVID, but even through the livelihoods of all the residents. If we know what these issues are, we can help to try and implement them architecturally.
SHN: Do you have any reactions to the comments on residential and greenhouse design and architecture?
Fik: Ultimately, we’re trying to appeal to the people in single-family homes, and that is our biggest competitor. The most important thing is capturing these residents to improve their life despite their loss of competencies.
My mom lives in Batavia, at 97 years old. She was withering away at home and it wasn’t until she moved into a community that she started to thrive through socialization and actually eating. [This is a decision] that the adult children hold off on many times until the last possible minute before looking. A lot of times, the potential resident is saying, “Hey, I’ve made all this money. I don’t want to move out.” That’s why we see them holding off until 80 or 85.
If we can capture them earlier, it’s more appealing because the cost is similar to single-family living. It’s going to be a competition of course, for independent living, which if you can bring them into your system early enough, you’re going to be able to keep them for the longevity.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
This article is sponsored by Lantz-Boggio. Lantz-Boggio is paving the way for better lives through architecture and design of successful senior communities. To find out how, visit lantz-boggio.com/.
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