Environments for Aging - Spring 2018 - 108

EFA DESIGN SHOWCASE
SKILLED NURSING

River Pines and Prairie Pointe ALTOONA, WIS.
Submitted by: Community Living Solutions APPLETON, WIS.

After several years of studies,
discussions and discernment,
the Board of Directors for this
Church sponsored multi-site
senior living ministry decided it
was time to replace their original 40 plus year old, operational
inefficient multistory skilled
nursing facility. The project
would consist of two separate
and distinct nursing homes
under one roof. A 50 bed longterm care neighborhood and
48 bed short-term care/assisted
living step down neighborhood
would replace the former 120
bed multistory skilled nursing
facility.
Finding the appropriate
location for the new facility was
deemed critical to the overall success of the venture. Although they
were recognized for their overall
high quality of care, it was evident
from the declining short-term
care census that their current
Project Category: New construction
Chief administrator: Mike Christensen, CEO, Grace Lutheran Communities
Firm: Community Living Solutions, www.communitylivingsolutions.com
Design team: Community Living Solutions (architect and construction manager); Larson Engineering Inc. (structural
engineer); MEP Associates LLC (MEP engineer); Advanced Engineering Concepts LLC (civil engineer); Living Designs LLC
(interior designer)
Photography: ©2017 The Cook Photograph Company
Number/type of housing units: 50 long-term care, 24 short-term care rehabilitation, 24 transitional step-down assisted
living
Total building area (sq. ft.): 94,132
Construction cost/sq. ft.: $152
Total construction cost (excluding land): $14.3 million
Completed: February 2017
108

Environments for Aging * special supplement

location and outdated building
was not supporting the market's
view as a preferred provider
of choice. After studying more
than a dozen potential sites a
final location was selected that
would be the buffer between a
residential neighborhood and
the interstate highway corridor.
The challenging nine-acre
linear site provided the visibility and accessibility for the
market driven short-term care
residents and the creation of
a person-centered household
that complimented the existing
residential neighborhood.
Key to the success of the
project would be a scale and
form that would separate the
distinct long-term and shortterm skilled nursing populations and community access to
the Commons. A single story,
wood frame construction afforded the design team a rich
vocabulary of residential scale,
color and massing forms. The
spaces that are oriented to the
interstate highway are more
civic and celebrated in their
building forms. These spaces
are also the Commons connectors between the two buildings. Both households share
a residential scale and form
with differing roof shingle and
siding colors for differentiation
and wayfinding.

http://www.communitylivingsolutions.com

Environments for Aging - Spring 2018

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