The single and double units are designed in variations of thirds so that, through the design process, the layouts of each floor could change to address evolving understanding of the market demand for two bed vs. one bed units without disrupting the column grid. Optimal unit sizes were derived by exploring 25 best precedent layouts of other Assisted Living Facilities to arrive at a desirable balance of marketing potential.

“I am so happy here. We all feel safe and comfortable – the social and gathering spaces make meeting with neighbours and friends easy, and I am proud to have family and friends stay with me. The way my apartment is organized makes living and entertaining in my own space natural.”
-Joan Bonnett, Resident

To be identifiable as community “houses”, the units of the building wanted to be physically separated, but this would require staff to walk outdoors in the harsh weather on the site. The design managed a delicate compromise that relied heavily on a vernacular “house” form and the management of building scale while maintaining physical indoor connections. A variety of private, semi-private, and group-oriented spaces within the households provides the inhabitants with didactic spaces in which to re-socialize and re-integrate. Patient rooms and shared spaces incorporate several “nodes” of peer-to-peer engagement and rehabilitation stages. This allows patients of varying levels and stages of recovery (for example, with severe anxiety) to utilize the spatial environment as a tool in the management of their recovery.

Extra insulation, sensitive siting, and conscientious planning of the interior work together to maximize the ability for the house to be eco-friendly. After developing a parti that incorporated four existing mature trees in the siting of the house, computer modeling refined the initial moves to subtly maximize solar gain in the winter and shade in the summer, helping shape roof trusses and overhangs. The south wall of the house is significantly more glazed than the north, with exposed thermal mass and utilization of the roof truss shape providing passive solar and ventilation opportunities.

On the ground floor, large windows are oriented to an outdoor living space, situated between a row of mature trees and the house. This sheltered south facing space mirrors the more public interior spaces on the south side of the floor plan: dining, living, and kitchen. The relationship is direct and immediate, and the family and its guests are not fully aware of the pond just above view. The welcoming open plan and interconnected levels are counterpoint to its intimate spaces.

On the second floor, selective openings on the north side of the house capture distant views of Cape Blomidon and the Valley. Large windows on the south side capture views of the pond, ringed with weeping willows whose branches bend to touch the water – views which are not available from the main floor, and which are framed as art, developing a different relationship with the surrounding landscape than is available from the more public spaces of the house.