Environments for Aging - Summer 2021 - 47

REMODEL/RENOVATION COMPETITION
Wesley Enhanced Living - Upper Moreland - Reception/Lobby HATBORO, PA.
Submitted by: Lenhardt Rodgers Architecture + Interiors FORT WASHINGTON, PA.
Design team: Joyce Lenhardt,
architectural principal-in-charge;
Deborah Seitz, architectural
designer and project manager;
Jackie Patterson, interior designer
(Lenhardt Rodgers Architecture +
Interiors); MacIntosh Engineering
(structural engineering); Moore
Engineering (MEP/FP engineering);
Corsi Associates (culinary design)
Cost per square foot: $107
Photography (after images):
Joseph Kitchen Photography
Firm Contact: (215) 653-0935 ext.
119, lenhardtrodgers.net
Wesley Enhanced Living (WEL)
at Upper Moreland, a non-profit
enhanced living senior living community,
has evolved from an 1888
stone mansion into a community
of 183 units with a range of care.
President and CEO Jeff Petty charged
the design team to create an engaging
first impression of the main building's
entrance with a hospitality style.
The existing entrance had a small
reception/lobby area, an administrative
suite, and program spaces
in individual rooms off the central
corridor. The goal for an open plan
with pockets of activity visible from
each other began by moving the
administrative suite into an existing
under-utilized space. The interior of
the entire entrance wing was then
gutted to reorganize the 3,700 square
feet of available space around the
newly exposed adjacent courtyard,
existing structural columns, and the
central axis.
In the new design, the resident
engages with the program spaces on
the perimeter around a central lounge
flanked by the existing columns.
A new bistro welcomes residents
with a bar, food display cases, and
seating. The area is rounded off with
an open mail area, a gift shop, and a
well-hidden, yet conveniently placed,
serving kitchen for the Bistro. The
BEFORE
nearby existing main kitchen and
storage also support the Bistro. Other
parts of the overall renovation project
include a relocated multi-purpose
room, library, and chapel plus a new
cinema and a family dining room.
New finishes and furniture have a
neutral palette of white oak and warm
tones punctuated with red to provide
a cohesive design appearance.
Jury Comments:
* The design takes a series of
rooms connected with a dark
corridor and limited number
of exterior connections to the
lobby, and then opens the lobby
to multiple exterior exposures
while separating areas using
semi-transparent screens, floor
and ceiling patterns providing
a beautiful light controlled
expansive experience. These
screens are an effective way
of providing acoustic and cozy
quality to the space and at the
same time maintaining a light,
open and airy feel. While not
every type of seating will satisfy
every older person's needs, the
project has the courage to provide
BEFORE
a variety of choices including
a banquette and thus creating
a focal point character that is
memorable, fun, and inviting.
* Wow, what a stunning
transformation of an institutional
lobby into a peaceful residential
scale living room. Nicely opens
up spaces, brings in daylighting
and visually clues the now
visible elevators. Appreciate how
well the structural column was
incorporated into aesthetic.
* This is a fantastic transformation
of a run-of-the-mill entry lobby
and administration suite into an
active and vibrant hub of activity.
Relocating the administrative
suite was a master stroke in
pulling this off. Splitting the
circulation path created the
opportunity to position multiple
smaller scale social areas
near exterior windows, and
the use of translucent divider
panels provides an open and
airy setting. This is a very
economically executed solution
that will surely become a popular
place to hang out.
Supplement to Environments for Aging 47
http://www.lenhardtrodgers.net
Environments for Aging - Summer 2021

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