6. Build a kitchen for demonstrations. Instead of offering a catering kitchen, turn the kitchen into a space where cooking courses can be held and health cuisine can be demonstrated.
7. Offer ample fitness centers. Fitness is much more important to this group. Provide enough space for lessons on yoga, meditation, stretching, as well as soft aerobic machinery for regular use.
8. Don’t overlook soft amenities. Hire a social director rather than an activity director. Put the emphasis on promoting social integration of every resident into community programs.
9. Design spaces for grandchildren. Today’s younger seniors want their home to be a place that invites and entertains their offspring. Providing places for children to play ensures enjoyable and frequent family visits. These visits are denied in some kid-unfriendly communities. Even adults without grandchildren enjoy watching kids play. Their energy and enthusiasm is inviting and contagious. Locate these features near outdoor community space and isolate them from areas that require quiet (chapel or library).
Building Value While the amenities in today’s active adult projects need to be cutting edge, the design of buildings doesn’t necessarily need to be. But that doesn’t mean these seniors won’t appreciate the latest design trends. Here are six design tips to keep in mind.
1. Create a good first impression. Exterior appearances should favor traditional executions and standards but avoid appearing excessively ostentatious. Seniors welcome richer detail with appropriateness to their economic station. They resist institutional or grandiose identities.
2. Vary building shapes and functions. Scale is important, and bigger is not better. Buildings composed of fewer units at lower heights will draw greater attention than more massive counterparts.
3. Open up floor plans. Old, compartmentalized floor plans won’t work for today’s senior. These younger seniors don’t want a re-creation of the family kitchen where everyone once gathered around the table. They seek a more contemporary setting with open kitchens attached to prime living areas in lieu of isolated eat-in kitchens.
4. Allow expanded home entertainment options. This includes an emphasis on furnishing arrangements. Allocate space for a computer nook for active Internet users. This age group is into e-mail and online activities. They have the time to pursue these interests, and the functions are easily learned.
5. Flood the units with natural light. Bright interiors with more windows and higher ceilings are very inviting. High flat ceilings in urban areas are the rule. On the other hand, sloped ceilings serve well in rural and country settings.
6. Convert bathrooms from utility spaces to places of private self-indulgence. Oversized showers, private hygiene facility locations (water closets and bidet depending on market sophistication), and space to move comfortably should characterize the layout.
Remember that upon retirement, active adults have many housing options. They will look for a more amenity-rich environment than their predecessors. This new breed of seniors is interested in a quality of life that will insure productivity, social enrichment, gracious living, and healthy energy – for as many years to come as they can embrace.
–Bob Koch is a partner at Fugleberg Koch Architects based in Winter Park, Fla.