Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/178323
IMAGES COURTESY DAVID WATKIN ARCHITECT Laurel Heights Retirement Residence by Jerry Eberts ith the opening in Edmonton of All Seniors Care Living Centres' new Laurel Heights Retirement Residence, seniors have a safe, comfortable, home-like environment with all the necessary luxuries. Edmonton's Meadows neighbourhood was chosen for the Laurel Heights project after careful consideration. Just a short distance from Laurel Heights is the Mill Woods Town Centre shopping centre, the Grey Nuns Community Hospital, a ire station, a bus terminal and the Edmonton Police Service's southeast division headquarters. To the west of the project are Mill Woods Park and the Mill Woods Recreation Centre. Care for the elderly is a growing concern and while the oldest of the Baby Boomers are now retired, it is still mostly the previous generation who are in need of a well-thoughtout retirement community. "The industry has not seen the Baby Boomers yet," says David Watkin, principal with David Watkin Architect of Calgary. "We built this project for their parents. The outer edge of the Boomers are just hitting 68 or so, but the average age of our residents is 82." Watkin says his architectural irm has a good selection of clients in the ield of retirement residences. He's worked on projects across the country – with the exception of projects in Quebec. "Projects such as Laurel Heights are a mainstay of our business," says Watkin. The new facility features many luxuries, including a private movie theatre, an Internet lounge, a library, sitting areas with ireplaces, a main- loor bistro, a chapel – even a beauty parlour/barber shop. W Laurel Heights Retirement Residence p.62-65LaurelHeights.indd 63 The wellness centre (including spa and itness room) is overseen by a full-time director of health and wellness. All Seniors Care builds its facilities to allow aging-in-place, so a one- or two-bedroom suite in Laurel Heights could be a comfortable home for many years. The four-storey building is roughly square, with a large open courtyard in the centre, some- what protected from the weather. Says Watkin, "It was a large enough piece of land that it made sense to put in some outdoor amenities, including a putting green and bird feeders. The courtyard has its own mini-environment which is ive to 10 degrees warmer in the winter, making it useful for most of the year." Art Ladouceur was project director for the AUGUST 2012 /63 7/13/12 10:19 AM