Environments for Aging - Spring 2022 - 103

©2022 LWDA, INC.
and functional improvements to neighborhood
commons, dining rooms, living areas, bedrooms,
hallways, and bathing spaces, with Leonard Contracting
Inc. working as the general contractor.
The new design infused innovation and
evidence-based knowledge specific to Memory
Care and created comfortable, residential, therapeutic
environments.
The interior was brought to life with new finishes,
textures, and elder friendly furniture. Household
kitchens and dining rooms were joined to create a
residential open-kitchen experience, found in one's
own home, to encourage residents' engagement
during mealtimes. Living rooms that were oversized
and poorly lit have been transformed into
residential scale havens accommodating familiar
social gatherings, games, conversations, or quiet
reading. Interior design choices were made to delineate
and differentiate between spaces, highlight
their intended use, and expected behavior. New
color schemes were created to carefully use hue,
saturation, and contrast to address the specialized
needs of residents living with dementia.
In collaboration with BIOS Lighting, cutting edge
circadian lighting technology was strategically applied
in Common residents' spaces. Bios Circadian
Lighting provides improved daytime alertness,
mood, brain function, and strengthens circadian
rhythms. The BIOS Human-Centric circadian lighting
system uses LEDs that provide dimmable nonvisual
sky-blue light signals at the same wavelength
as the sun (490 nanometers), mimicking the daynight
cycle, to biologically regulate the circadian
rhythms of residents and staff promoting wellness,
encouraging normal sleep habits, and reducing
agitation and negative behaviors.
The Bio-Dimming system creates brighter days
and darker nights with Circadian lighting, dimming
BIOS lights 2-3 hours before bedtime to provide
enough relaxation to promote a restful night's
sleep. This provides more consolidated sleep and
less nighttime wandering, by using an optimized
spectrum for visual comfort. Simplified controls
provide automated intuitive day/night transitions.
©2022 DROR BALDINGER, FAIA
PROJECT CATEGORY:
Remodel/renovation
©2022 DROR BALDINGER, FAIA
CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR:
Kurt Riedel, BSN, RN,
director, Freedom House
FIRM:
LWDA Inc., LWDA.com
DESIGN TEAM:
Ruth Neeman, principal,
director of senior living;
Christine Lucido, senior
designer and project
manager; Willa Codkind,
interior designer (LWDA);
Robert Soler, vice president
biological research and
technology (BIOS); Amber
Gass, project manager
(Clearly Zimmerman
Engineers); LPA Design
Studios (landscape
architecture)
PHOTOGRAPHY:
©2022 Dror Baldinger, FAIA
NUMBER/TYPE OF HOUSING
UNITS:
72-bed small house
assisted living memory care
TOTAL BUILDING AREA
(SQ. FT.):
56,035
©2022 BIOS LIGHTING
CONSTRUCTION COST/
SQ. FT.:
$99
TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST
(EXCLUDING LAND):
$4.6 million
COMPLETED:
August 2021
supplement to environments for aging | 103
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Environments for Aging - Spring 2022

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