Senior Recreation Center, Architectural Design by French Associates
According to French Associates, a senior recreation center needs to be designed with a healthy and active senior population in mind. There are special considerations for the aging, some subtle and some more significant, that will make this specific building type successful and some of those are discussed below.
Circulation
Vehicular and pedestrian circulation should be designed to provide clarity and reduce conflicts. A patron drop-off area at the front of the building is essential as many seniors are driven to the facility by family members. This area should be well defined and separated from the parking lot traffic. Volunteer traffic for a “Meals on Wheels” program and transportation buses should be separated from the route of delivery trucks and everyday visitor traffic. Pedestrian seniors should not have to cross vehicular routes when entering from parking areas.
Senior Recreation Centers
Here come the Baby Boomers!
“ ....the senior population will double while all other age groups will decrease or increase only dlightly.”
-SEMCOG (Southeast Michigan Council of Governments)
A large facility should consider multiple entrances to allow access to portions of the building that can be isolated and operated independently for special programs. Multiple entrances reduce distances to activity rooms and increase ease of way finding.
Safety
Transparency is a key concept in the design of a senior center. The location of staff stations or offices within the building is another important consideration. A decentralized staff can respond more quickly to the users of the facility, whether it is to answer a question or an emergency situation. An active senior center will have many programs and activities happening simultaneously. Some programs are supervised while other activities are independent. Providing clear views or windows to every space will allow staff to monitor all the activities and offer the appropriate assistance. The correct choice of interior materials, colors and textures can improve the definition of edges, entries and changes in elevation. Variations in lighting levels can improve depth perception for people with even mild macular degeneration. The exterior of the building also needs to be carefully designed. Slip and fall is the number one cause of injury among the senior population. Exterior features such as heated walkways, covered entrances, and rails and lighting should be carefully designed to increase the safety of the facility.
Flexibility
Successful centers may offer hundreds of classes and activities in a given year and many special events, lectures and parties. Some facilities even offer rooms for rent by the general public and local businesses. Many spaces within the building need to adapt to different size groups with a variety of presentation requirements. Rooms may often be used by different groups for a variety of activities during the same day or week. This need for flexibility is met in part by eliminating ownership and careful scheduling. The technology in the building must allow different room arrangements and presentation media. The rooms themselves can be flexible by utilizing operable partitions to adjust the size of the room to the needs of the activity.
Comfort
Beyond the basic requirements of safety, many elements within the building can be designed with the comfort of the senior in mind. A smaller scaled building with clear entry points and short travel distances will make the facility comfortable and easy to use. Auditory comfort can be increased by the reduction of high frequency noise. Various sound absorbing materials and furniture can be utilized to achieve the desired requirements of individual spaces. For those with reduced dexterity, features such as lower cabinet heights with larger handles and toilet facilities with higher seat heights make the use of the facility more comfortable. The heating and cooling systems should be designed to respond to various size groups with different temperature needs.
Many of these concepts are applicable to all public facilities. Their integration into a facility for seniors is however critical to the success of this building type. Careful planning, both on the part of the designers and facility directors, is crucial to the outcome of a successful senior center. A vibrant and active senior center will only be as successful as the programs available to the community. However, without adequate facilities, it will be very difficult to offer the variety and type of programs baby boomers, turned seniors, will soon demand
