[0] Architecture & Interior design Renovation. (2002 Order of Excellence Awards).

ROCKWOOD RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Spokane, Washington

Morphing to modern need

Beyond major renovation, this project represents what our jury calls "transformation." The overhaul of Rockwood Retirement Community erases a nursing home's circa-1960 institutional roots, replacing them with aesthetics that both better serve residents and befit the neighborhood.

In an urban setting, surrounded by stately homes and Mission-style bungalows, the architectural reinvention of Rockwood Health and Wellness Center is nothing short of dramatic. For starters, the design team at Perkins Eastman Architects' Pittsburgh office, which handled architecture and interior design on the project, added two wings totaling 80,000 square feet, distinguished by flag brick cladding and deep roof overhangs. The addition incorporates skilled nursing and assisted living dementia units, completing the community's continuum of care.

Jurors praised the project's design continuity, exterior to interior. Inside, design treatments remain consistent with Arts and Crafts leanings, highlighted by local basalt stone fireplaces and plentiful wood detailing.

Rockwood's metamorphosis is attracting the attention of would-be residents. At a recent open house, one visitor told her companion, "I never knew it could be so nice."

Then came the reassuring reply: "I'm not afraid of this anymore."

JURY'S TAKE

Rob Voizer: "It's great to see designers and architects updating the vocabulary of what we accept as a traditional design aesthetic."

Lorraine Hiatt: "...project plan achieves an intimacy in scale and social experience..."

RELATED ARTICLE: PROJECT SNAPSHOT:

Owner: Rockwood Retirement Communities, Spokane, Wash.

Architect and Interior design: Perkins Eastman Architects, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Lanciscape architect: Helistrom Associates, Spokane, Wash.

Project team: J. David Hoglund, FAIA; Kurt Jorgensen, AlA; Sonny Sanjari, Shannon Kobistek, Laurie Butler, William Fullerton, design team; Ben Nielsen, Dana Harbaugh, Bruce Russell, Brent Harding, Northwestern Architectural Co. (affiliate architects); Steve Wuitschick, president and CEO, Rockwood Retirement Communities; Jaak Juhkentaal, vice president, operations; Alan Curryer, vice president, finance; Sylvia DeWaard, RN, director of health services; Tom Bishop, director of environmental services; Yannick Droogmans, director of food services

Resources: BRICK: Mutual Materials; CARPET: Lees Carpet; FLOORING: Armstrong; LIGHTING: Columbia, Lithonia, Metallux; PAINT: Pro-Mar; CEILING TILE: DalTile; WALL COVERINGS/MATERIALS: Versa, Lanark, Seabrook, York, Bolta, Symphony

Facts: beds: 99; resident average age: 84; total square footage: 80,000; cost per gross sq. ft.: $1 DD; average assisted living suite: 6D0 sq. ft.

Photography: Larry Convoy

Article Details

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Publication:	Contemporary Long Term Care
Geographic Code:	1USA
Date:	Apr 1, 2002
Words:	376
Previous Article:	Architecture & Interior design Renovation. (2002 Order of Excellence Awards).
Next Article:	Interior design Renovation. (2002 Order of Excellence Awards).
Topics:	Long term care facilities Design and construction Long-term care facilities Design and construction

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