Orchard View to Welcome 200 Senior Residents

WEST POINT, Ga. — Orchard View, a $28 million skilled nursing facility in Columbus, Ga., opened this month. The facility will provide a neighborhood-style home to 200 residents.
With leadership from the Hospital Authority of Columbus and Aaron & Clements Construction Management Services, West Point-based Batson-Cook completed construction on 28 acres of land to complete Orchard View. Each building on the site will provide long-term care necessities, such as nurses’ stations, dining facilities and living room areas. The buildings will feature home-like environments in each unit with stone electric fireplaces, spa tubs and showers, and high-end window treatments.
“The owner’s vision for the Orchard View project was to provide the best possible mix of sustainability and quality with a program based on the skilled nursing sector’s culture change movement,” said Ryan Clements, vice president of Aaron & Clements, in a statement. “Working with the owner and design team from the outset of planning and design through completion of the project, the Batson-Cook team worked creatively and tirelessly in delivering a quality product for the owner.”
The essential feature of the facility is a 26,000-square-foot rehabilitation unit (called the “town center” that includes a gymnasium and an aqua therapy room as well as a salon and chapel. The outdoor rehab courtyard is constructed with different walking surfaces to simulate orchard gardens and the space offers various patios.
Columbus-based Hecht Burdeshaw Architects and D2 Architecture in Dallas designed Orchard View.
“Our partners at Hecht Burdeshaw Architects of Columbus and D2 Architecture of Dallas have used their insight into the long-term healthcare wants and needs of the community, eliminating the institutional feel, which is stereotypical for similar facilities,” said Batson-Cook Project Manager Eddie Sanders. “As a result of this design, we were able to build a true community for the residents.”
Batson-Cook has other health care facility projects in and around Columbus, including a new generator building for Midtown Medical Center. The 413-bed acute care hospital is located on Columbus Regional Health’s campus. According to Batson-Cook’s website, the facility allows the hospital to change to emergency power in less than seven seconds in emergencies and provides the ability to significantly reduce energy costs by utilizing the generators during peak times, a process known as peak shaving.
In July, Batson-Cook Construction and sister company Batson-Cook Development Company partnered with Principal Senior Living Group to build more than 275,000 square feet of assisted living and memory care facilities across three states. The family of senior care facilities, called Benton Houses, has an overall construction value of more than $56 million.