Fargo Senior Facility Gets Attention for Design

FARGO, N.D. Senior living facilities tend to be outdated and rarely get attention in terms of design; however, St. Paul, Minn.-based Pope Architects recently earned several awards for its Danish Modern design of the $4 million, 18,500-square-foot renovation and expansion at the Elim Rehab and Care Center in Fargo.

The awards include: Best in Category Resident Rooms from the Environments for Aging 2012 Remodel Renovation Competition and the 2013 Design Showcase Citation of Merit from the Minnesota Chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments.

The Danish Modern design, a minimalist approach using an organic color palette and millwork, was inspired by the communitys Danish heritage. Jill Schroeder, C.I.D., interior designer for Pope Architects, believes its the only facility in the market to use this design approach. While it is apparent in the furniture, flooring and wood finishes along the wall, other Danish touches include the ceiling mural, the design teams interpretation of Danish-inspired art, and a mural of micro mosaic tile on the fireplace next to the lobby, which is based on a Scandinavian quilt and represents the areas sporting community.

Pope Architects designed the first phase, completed in March 2012, with the additional phasing of the project to happen over a number of years. The first phase converted shared rooms to private ones, each getting an expanded bathroom and new shower units. The plans required the help of a local plumbing service (visit website for more details) to ensure that the shower units were properly fitted and were accessible to all residents. This was a must for the developers as the previous showers had very low pressure and meant they had to get a shower to match the pressure but also looking into increase this. They decided to look into the best electric shower for low water pressure and the designs went from there. The renovations also added a 20-bed transitional care unit, as well as new dining, lounge and therapy spaces that give the residents multiple communal spaces where they can gather and interact. (The previous building had only one communal space.)

The design element that Schroeder and her team are most proud of is the raised roof in the front lobby area, creating a space that was once 8-feet high and achieving 17- to 22-foot high ceilings. Clerestory windows in the lobby and dining room, large windows in the resident rooms and interior windows in the lounge added a lot of natural light. The overall goal was to add as much sunlight and natural daylight as possible to bring this community up to speed with the competition in the Fargo area, said Schroeder.

In addition to incorporating natural lighting elements, Kenall Lighting was hired to create efficient lighting technologies that address both the needs of the residents and the building. The main challenge in lighting design for senior living facilities is that while seniors require considerably more light to see properly than their younger counterparts, they are also particularly sensitive to glare, said Jay Massa, regional sales manager for the company. Its critical to understand the needs of the senior population and lighting products that not only meet their needs but address the facilitys operations and maintenance issues, too. I think its important to convey that poor interior lighting can accentuate existing vision problems and reading difficulties among the elderly, contribute to depression and disrupt sleep cycles.

Alternative light sources were created in each residents room, with an updated over-bed fixture, a LED nightlight and an entry fixture. The over-bed light source gives the residents more flexibility and independence, especially with the reading light option, while the LED nightlights provide enough light for staff members doing nightly rounds to limit any disruption of sleeping residents. It is important for rooms to have a variety of different light sources for both functionality and design. It is possible to get a whole host of different light features, just click for more information. This is key for any space, whether it be rooms for the elderly, a family kitchen or an office space.

Falls are also a major concern with the elderly; they threaten their independence and risk further health complications. Nightlights are helpful in reducing falls and injuries while simultaneously helping the elderly to maintain sleep, Massa said. Keeping this in mind, Kenalls MedMaster LED step lights are also in each residents room. These fixtures are architecturally styled and complement the facilitys new design. The step lights are installed in the doorway to minimize potentially disorienting shadows, an important design consideration when lighting senior living facilities.