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august 2015 | 101 Meadow Ridge seniors Village renderings courtesy stantec Meadow Ridge Seniors Village by Peter stenning A ge-appropriate housing is one of the biggest challenges facing our aging baby boomer society. The swelling ranks of people 65 and older have led more developers to focus on residences for seniors – whether independent liv- ing, supportive/assisted living, or resi- dential care. The new Meadow Ridge Seniors Village in Medicine Hat, Alberta, is a text- book example of how careful thought and planning can result in pleasant liv- ing accommodations – even on a some- what limited budget, while still allowing for the care needs of residents. Scheduled for full occupancy at the end of August, the $18.5-million Meadow Ridge is a supportive living site devel- oped by family-owned Park Place Seniors Living under a contract with Alberta Health/Alberta Seniors. The new facil- ity will provide 80 subsidized suites for seniors (and four for private pay resi- dents), with priority given to those with frailties and/or cognitive impairment. Park Place, which owns 22 seniors properties in Alberta and B.C., launched the Meadow Ridge project in 2012 after winning an RFP by proposing a suit- able design and financial framework for what Alberta Health had designated as a Supportive Living Level 4 facility – a place for those who can't live independently and require around-the-clock attention. It was critical that Park Place retain an architect with extensive knowl- edge of seniors' living spaces. Stantec, whose portfolio spans North America, fit Park Place's criteria. Stantec was involved from the outset of the proj- ect and consulted on design when the original proposal was made to Alberta Health. "Stantec's architects appreciate the needs of our senior residents, plus they have a fabulous relationship with the Alberta Health," says Ian West, VP, operations, Park Place. Stantec's sensitivit y toward the greater community as well as the future senior residents helped determine the basic layout of Meadow Ridge. "The Village is located on a four-acre site in a residential neighbourhood, and it con- sists of three single-storey cottages for residents with dementia plus a central two-storey building," says West. "Early on it was decided to locate the cottages at the front of the property and the larger building behind, which created a pleasing sightline, a residential feel and helped the Village blend in with the single detached homes in the area." Also, to help the Village blend with its surrounding, Park Place and Stantec augmented the buildings with brick accents. "Medicine Hat is a brick-pro- ducing town and we wanted to honour its heritage," says West. Stantec's design included enclosed "wandering gardens" around and between the cottages, which allow mem- ory-impaired residents to still enjoy the outdoors. To ensure resident safety, the gardens are designed with discreet locked access. "Electronic access is also prevalent throughout the main facility so that patients can wander and yet be easily monitored by staff," says West. At every stage of the design, a focus on current and future residents' needs was maintained. "For instance, Stantec included extra-strong ceilings in the design so that lift tracks and motors could be installed at a later date for residents with mobility challenges," says West. Adding fortified ceilings and other components after the facility was operational – which is often the case in seniors' centres – would be "costly, dis- ruptive and inefficient." To serve bar- iatric residents, extra-wide doorways were installed as needed. In choosing finishes and furnish- ings, Park Place and Stantec paid special attention to the probable history of future Meadow Ridge residents. Instead of trying to create the opulence of a five-star hotel, they focused on comfort and familiarity. "Oftentimes five-star accommodations for seniors are com- pletely out of place in the community and, by extension, the residents feel out of place as well," West explains. "Many of the people who will live in Meadow Ridge have spent their lives on farms and are extremely frugal, so we had to keep that in mind when making deci- sions on everything from architectural flourishes to furniture fabric. From the moment they step through the doors, we want the Village to feel like home." Floor plans and services were care- fully arranged to create the distinct impression that "the Village belongs to the residents rather than the caregiv- ers – which is another common failing of seniors' care homes," says West. So the suites are collected into neighbour- hoods and a homelike feel is created with a private dining area and recre- ational spaces for each neighbourhood. Ground broke on the project in the spring of 2014. Eric Hullah, project man- ager for Clark Builders, says the only major construction challenge was geo- technical: "Soil bearing wasn't reaching capacity and this meant we had to go deeper on our pilings, which ultimately caused a six week delay in schedule." Meadow Ridge was originally designed with concrete chambers to handle stormwater runoff beneath an area that included the parking lot, a walking trail and the landscaped courtyard. But due to saturated soils and a high water table, an alternative solution was required. Ultimately, the chambers were replaced with Cultec Stormwater Chambers. This system reportedly provided a cost sav- ings of $400,000 and required only one truckload of material instead of six. Hullah remarks, "Even though I never consider any project to be smooth sail- ing, this one was relatively uneventful." To which West adds, "The Calgary floods, which occurred when we were getting ready to build, caused a prob- lem in that a lot of the regional trades were focused on reclamation and repair work. We were fortunate to retain Clark Builders and hope to work with them again in upcoming projects." West concludes, "An institution is not the bricks and mortar, it's in the state of mind of the people who design and operate it. That is why Park Place and Stantec have built a living environment that residents can proudly call home." A Location 259 Park Meadows Drive SE, Medicine Hat, Alberta owner/DeveLoper Park Place Seniors Living architect/StructuraL/civiL/ LanDScape Stantec project co-orDination Kasper Development Corporation GeneraL contractor Clark Builders MechanicaL conSuLtant Pad-Car Mechanical Ltd. eLectricaL conSuLtant Spider Electric Ltd. totaL coSt $18.5 million

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