Dahlin Group Noted for Seniors Design

Green House Awards Highlight AAHSA Conference

Pleasanton, Calif., November 18—Dahlin Group Architecture Planning announces top honors for innovative senior housing design in The Green House® Design Charrette, sponsored by the Ideas Institute of Kirtland, Ohio. The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) hosted the awards as part of its annual conference, held in mid October in Philadelphia.

The Green House model aims to de-institutionalize long-term care by eliminating the need for large nursing facilities, and departs from traditional skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities by altering facility size, interior design, staffing patterns and methods of delivering skilled professional services.  See www.ideasinstitute.org/greenhouse.asp and www.aahsa.org.

“As America’s Boomers age, traditional models for long-term residence are being re-tooled, with aging in place the goal,” said Glen Simmons, AIA, Dahlin Group principal and charrette team leader. “We look forward to applying our many years in community design to new and innovative ways to address this huge, diverse demographic.”

Dahlin Group took First Place for a Rural Design Green House and was one of two firms earning top honors in this category. Judges noted the Dahlin Group project for its sensitivity to human scale, residential character and the skill applied to optimizing living spaces.

“Our design emulates the comfortable atmosphere of a traditional family neighborhood,” said Simmons. “It responds to The Green House model, which makes daily living the priority, with assistance and support enhancing this without becoming the focus of existence.”

Dahlin Group’s design maximizes green space and outdoor activity areas for the homes, which provide 10 individual bedrooms with private baths and seating space. The homes feature an entry porch and lobby, kitchen, hearth/sitting room, dining room, den, laundry and spa/fitness room, as well as a large patio and a garden court. Orientation for solar gain, solar roof panels and clerestory and skylights maximize natural illumination.

 “Green House is addressing the sense of community—and that is what allows human beings to thrive,” Simmons said. “Dahlin Group firmly believes that aging within the community at large should be the ultimate goal as we move beyond historic models of senior housing and assisted living.”

Simmons added that The Green House movement is growing steadily, with just four such homes built in 2004 and some 41 today, located in 10 states. In planning are an additional 130 Green House homes in 12 states.

Dahlin Group Architecture Planning is noted for its site-specific housing types, large-scale urban and suburban development and affordable, multi-family housing. The full-service architecture and planning firm offers proven expertise in all types of residential architecture, community and recreational facilities, commercial buildings and urban design, and offers a Digital Imaging Studio with advanced animation technologies. Dahlin Group maintains offices in Pleasanton, Irvine, and Solana Beach, California; and in Beijing, China.  Visit www.dahlingroup.com.