Environments for Aging - Summer 2021 - 56

ADVERTORIAL
Q&A
Mary Lou Parham
Director of Interior Design
Lantz-Boggio Architects &
Interior Designers
What defined senior
living design 10 years
ago and what defines
it now?
Each new generation
of seniors comes to
senior housing with
a very different set of
goals and desires. Older
Americans today expect
more options in their daily
lifestyle - options beyond
what can be contained
within the walls of the
senior community. This
explains the dramatic shift
to mainstream, in-town,
infill locations that affords
residents and families
access to neighborhood
and community amenities.
Higher land prices and
higher construction costs
has significantly impacted
the cost of senior housing
to consumers. We as
designers must be more
innovative with space and
do more with less square
feet as a primary costsaving
measure.
What's one major design
or care delivery trend
that's shaping your work
today? And how so?
Industry surveys tell us
that each new generation
of seniors has less of a
desire to be segregated.
These surveys also
inform us that new and
coming generations have
a greater desire for new
life experiences including
entertainment, social
events and community
activities that are not solely
focused on seniors and
do not segregate seniors.
To be truly responsive,
we think of our amenity
spaces in senior living
communities as a shared
neighborhood asset and a
destination for the larger
community. We utilize the
amenity spaces as tool
for keeping our residents
engaged and connected to
the community at large.
How do you involve
residents to ensure
their voices are heard
in the design process?
Truly great design
must be RESPONSIVE
to the values, desires
and preferences of the
residents that we are
providing for. In our
practice, we incorporate
Senior Consumer
Research as part of our
everyday operation. We
include project focus
groups, senior resident
surveys, post-occupancy
reviews and a purposeful
observation of senior
resident behaviors.
We also temper our
studies and design
drivers with principles
from the hospitality and
retail industry along
with other markets that
influence the senior
lifestyle. As designers we
never lose sight of the
fact that the best design
evolves organically from
a deep understanding of
our residents.
In what sector of senior
living do you expect to
see the most growth in
the next few years?
As we look at the
economics of older
Americans, we see a huge
sector of American seniors
that are simply priced out
of the retirement housing
industry. The senior living
industry is beginning
to answer the call with
new, more affordable
senior living concepts
that opens the door for
more senior Americans.
Active Adult Communities
with limited services are
being developed across
the nation and I think
this trend will continue.
As an industry, we will
also continue to innovate
and invent new products
that respond to the new
generations of seniors
and the new economics of
retirement in America.
lantz-boggio.com
The Modena Reserve at Kensington, Kensington, Md.
Rendering: Lantz-Boggio Architects & Interior Designers
56 Supplement to Environments for Aging
http://www.lantz-boggio.com http://www.lantz-boggio.com
Environments for Aging - Summer 2021

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