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Page 22 — Health Care Properties Quarterly — April 2017
Senior Housing & Care
W hen we think of high-
rise buildings, we often
conjure images of office
buildings, luxury hotels
and flashy condos in the
heart of busy cities like downtown
Denver. High-rise buildings are not
only for tourists and professionals,
however, but also are home to senior
living communities across the Denver
metro area and in other urban set-
tings. Building codes define “high-rise”
as buildings in which the highest
occupied floor is more than 75 feet
above fire department access – usually
between six and eight stories.When
it comes to designing high-rises for
the aging, it’s important to keep these
architectural considerations in mind.
• Resident flow. Movement and flow
throughout a building are important
factors in how people utilize a space,
especially for seniors. For instance,
residents living in skilled nursing and
memory care units generally do not
move between floors as frequently as
independent and assisted-living resi-
dents.Where travel distances are lon-
ger, resting points should be consid-
ered. Designers must reflect on where
to locate amenities and services in
order to keep residents comfortable
and cared for.
• Visitor and staff entry control. Access
control is another important consid-
eration for any senior living commu-
nity. Visitors should be directed to the
reception area and not allowed free
access to all levels of the community,
with separate elevators or access
controls for staff and resident circu-
lation. Generally,
access control will
affect where eleva-
tors are located and
how high or low
they go. Architects
often work within
constrained site
parameters where
the more efficient
design solution may
be to place parking
directly underneath
the building. In this
case, the elevators
may extend under-
ground.
• Kitchens and dining areas. Kitchens,
dining rooms and common areas are
often located on the first floor, with
senior residences on higher floors.
For those in independent living situ-
ations, movement between floors
is usually not an issue. Sometimes,
however, smaller kitchenettes and
even full commercial kitchens exist
on the highest floors, which can be
convenient for residents with mobility
issues. There are additional pros and
cons to each:
First-floor kitchens . Infrastructure
and ease of plumbing are the main
reasons for locating a commercial
kitchen on the first floor. Receiving
food and equipment is more efficient
at ground level, with loading docks
and commercial refrigeration units
within easy access. Generally, having
the kitchen connected to the dining
room is the most sanitary option, and
locating the dining room on the first
floor encourages
visitors and staff to
congregate in a cen-
tral location.
Top-floor kitchens.
On the other hand,
there are benefits
to locating kitchens
and dining rooms
on higher floors.
The sweeping views
can create a cer-
tain “sizzle factor”
that adds to the
overall experience,
especially in scenic
locations like Colorado. A common
amenity at the top floor allows every-
one to share the best views. Addition-
ally, technical requirements like vent-
ing a kitchen hood are more easily
accomplished the closer you get to
the roof. Plus, taller buildings often are
constructed with a dedicated freight
elevator for kitchen deliveries.
• Plumbing, ventilation and mechani-
cal logistics. Plumbing and kitchen
ventilation always are a consideration,
but especially in a high-rise. Building
codes require a kitchen grease hood
ventilated all the way to the roof,
through a shaft from the first floor to
the top floor. Likewise, a grease trap
must drain in line with the sanitary
sewer system. For top-floor kitchens,
this means a dedicated draining sys-
tem that extends all the way down to
the ground. Typically, drainage pipes
take up less space going down than
ventilation shafts going up.
Like any high-rise, a fire pump,
domestic water pump and circulating
domestic water loop are required to
circulate water to facilities and resi-
dential rooms throughout the building.
Another mechanical requirement in
high-rise buildings is a ground-level fire
command room of at least 200 square
feet, approved by the local fire depart-
ment for use in emergencies.
• Outdoor amenity design. One often
defining characteristic factor of high-
rise buildings is their location in dense-
ly populated urban areas, especially
cities with rapidly growing populations
like Denver where vertical construction
is more attractive. Unlike apartment
buildings, there are few private outdoor
balconies in senior living residences.
Instead, residents are invited to step
outside their rooms to a shared out-
door space. On the first floor, this can
foster socialization as well as more
opportunities for natural vegetation
as opposed to a rooftop space. On the
other hand, some developers make a
point to locate outdoor common areas
on the rooftop when another use is
desired on the ground floor. For skilled
nursing or memory care units where
mobility may be restricted, a smaller
outdoor space on the roof can work
well.
Designing high-rise buildings for
senior living communities requires
many of the same considerations as
any high-rise building would, but an
understanding of the levels and variet-
ies of acuity helps designers craft spac-
es fitting the particular needs of aging
residents in Colorado and beyond. s
Jami
Mohlenkamp
Principal, OZ
Architecture,
Denver
Darrin Jensen
Senior project
manager, OZ
Architecture,
Denver