CREATING INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITIES

MIXING PEOPLE OF ALL AGES IN THEIR LIVING ENVIRONMENT LEADS TO HEALTHIER, MORE FULFILLED, BETTER CONNECTED AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLES

Jeremy Southerland, Gensler’s southeast region senior living practice area leader, said “When we talk about active adult communities/environments, the following is the current definition we’re using to measure our success: 

“Active adult communities offer independence, equity, and dynamic living environments.

They sustain and activate life experiences and are calibrated for adaptation to the evolving needs of the aging mind and body.

Active adult communities nurture life-span and well-span.”

Gensler also is designing what it believes is the next generation of 55+ active adult residences.

Willow Valley Communities’ Mosaic in Lancaster, Pa., is a 20-floor tower with 147 two- and three-bedroom units.

Ground floor retail plus memberships open to the public for Mosaic’s wellness center, spa and tower bar are designed to facilitate stronger connections with the community as a whole.

“By investing in the revitalization of downtown Lancaster, this project celebrates the important role that older adults play in the success of multigenerational urban communities,” Southerland said.

“Three lobbies take advantage of existing street slopes to ensure secure and easy access for residents enjoying the city, meeting friends for lunch and a show, going for bike rides, or returning from dinner in town.”

 

CREATING INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITIES

MIXING PEOPLE OF ALL AGES IN THEIR LIVING ENVIRONMENT LEADS TO HEALTHIER, MORE FULFILLED, BETTER CONNECTED AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLES

Gensler, the largest design and architecture firm in the world, has senior living practice leaders.

The San Francisco-based firm has generated reports on intergenerational communities and is designing a groundbreaking project that will blend senior living with a major college campus.

The Varcity at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., will bring alums back to school for their senior years.

The complex of apartments, town houses, villas and flats will create 230 rental units on 14 acres.

About 60 percent of the units will provide independent-living options as well as assisted-living and memory-care units.

Tama Duffy Day, Gensler’s global senior living leader, said University officials hope Varcity at Purdue will allow residents and current students to interact and learn from each other.

The first floor of the main building will feature shared amenities for students and residents that will include an event design lab, lecture hall, makerspace, lifelong learning space, an early childhood learning center and a work-share space.

Varcity residents will have access to classes and lectures on campus and a school ID card that provides access to all campus facilities. Amenities will include dining areas, a bar, gym, aerobics space, a pool and spa, pickleball courts and an outdoor kitchen and grilling station.

“I think that to talk about planning tools, you must take a broader view… you can’t assume that if you install park benches and time your traffic lights to allow additional time for pedestrians, that you can call a community age friendly,” said Jeremy Southerland, Gensler’s southeast region senior living practice area leader.

 

 

 

CREATING INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITIES

MIXING PEOPLE OF ALL AGES IN THEIR LIVING ENVIRONMENT LEADS TO HEALTHIER, MORE FULFILLED, BETTER CONNECTED AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLES

To further foster intergenerational living and connectivity, Prairie Hill’s eco-friendly site is not isolated.

It is intentionally located on bus lines and biking and walking trails about a mile from the University of Iowa and downtown Iowa City—so most daily needs can be met without needing a car.

The development is adjacent to a relatively new, large, multifaceted city park.