How to Design a Retirement Community
As the lifespan of Americans increase so does the need to find suitable living arrangements for retirees. After a lifetime of work, many seek neighborhoods with others who share common interests. The design of a retirement community is imperative to the happiness of its residents.
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Instructions
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Add resort details. The trend towards increasing recreational amenities in retirement housing means the addition of community cafés, bistro-dining nooks, landscaped courtyards and the use of distinct architectural design elements that reflects the regions' natural attractions.
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Forget the plain studio-type apartment with the formal dining room. Today's seniors want mid-rise or high-rise units with at least two bedrooms or an office that doubles as a second bedroom for guests.
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Spread out your design for a rural retirement community that offers the feel of country living while providing country club amenities. With spacious landscaped grounds, design your retirement community for easy access by all residents by including wide walkways that accommodate mobility scooters, wheelchairs or reclining cycles.
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Include a central clubhouse where residents gather for lunch and fitness equipment is available for exercise or rehabilitation therapy. Retirees are looking for healthy alternatives to a nursing home or an assisted living arrangement.
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Vary interior and exterior unit designs to attract residents who want to escape the "cookie cutter" look of a retirement community. If individual units are on your plan, design four or five different floor plans and alter the exteriors for a sense of individuality.
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Follow all Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) housing requirements when designing your retirement community. Although many residents will be mobile, offering lower thresholds, handled knobs, wheelchair accessible appliances and elevators will extend the resident's stay (see Resources).
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