What does HOME mean to a frail senior who has lived their entire life in New York City?

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1 Hudson River Site neighborhood Central Park What does HOME mean to a frail senior who has lived their entire life in New York City? With this development, the client desired to create a home for the frailest residents of Manhattan by adapting the Green House model to an urban context. The low rise single family models associated with Green House developments built throughout the U.S. do not fit in Manhattan. For those who live on the Upper West Side, the places they call home are apartments, co-ops or condominiums but that alone does not define home for New Yorkers. Manhattan

2 To New Yorkers HOME begins with neighborhood. Hudson River Riverside Park Public Library Place of Worship The sense of home for a New Yorker begins with being part of a neighborhood. When you ask someone who lives on West 97th Street about where they live, they typically will respond with; The Upper West Side. If pushed further, they will say West 97th Street. If pushed even further, they would say 97th between Columbus and Amsterdam only when giving someone directions do they provide a street address or building name. This sense of neighborhood is important to a New Yorker s identity. Broadway Amsterdam Site Columbus Public School Weekly Farmers Market Grocery Store 97th Street People who live in NYC prefer neighborhoods that offer many choices within walking distance. Some New Yorkers, especially the elderly, rarely leave their neighborhood. The best neighborhoods offer a variety of experiences and conveniences that can include grocery stores, laundries, banks, pharmacies, restaurants, fitness clubs, movie theaters, places of worship, and parks - places to conduct commerce, places to meet friends, and places to watch strangers. Proximity to these elements has become the basis for many communities goals to build sustainable and walkable communities that support seniors well the Upper West Side of Manhattan already is one. Historically, the institutional environments for the frailest members of our population were located on the outskirts or were in non-residential sections, and were not seen as benefiting from connections to neighborhoods. These attitudes are changing. When the client looked for sites in NYC to build a new long term care community, they wanted a site in a vibrant neighborhood; they found it on West 97th Street. Central Park

3 Being AT HOME in the city means choosing to be part of the street life or being in an oasis above it. Site and First Floor Plan For most people who live in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, home is a pre-war apartment building. Many New Yorkers live in buildings with elevators and lobbies with a doorman/ concierge and stories of apartments. These buildings often contain non-residential uses on the lower floors, have closely planted trees along the sidewalk and some contain beautifully landscaped gardens in courtyards or rear yards. The landscaping, non-residential uses, public lobbies, elevators and residential lobbies are elements that allow the human transition from the noisy NYC streets to the privacy of one s own apartment. The public space on the second floor provides busy neighborhood amenities to those who are no longer able to navigate the city s sidewalks. 97 th Street

4 Second Floor Plan Reducing the barriers between HOME and key amenities. The interior architecture for the building becomes a composition of three parts: the highly active ground and public floors, the elevators and lobbies which form the transition zone, and the quiet residential oasis of the resident living spaces. In this context, it seems logical to group the resident rooms into apartments that have clearly-defined entrances that demark the transition from public to private domains.

5 Typical Long Term Care Floor Plan Thoughtful plans create HOME with clearly discrete public and private areas. The apartments New Yorkers seek vary in size, yet no matter how large or small, the key issues are the same: open views of the skyline/rivers/parks, good sunlight, a thoughtful floor plan and nice detailing. New Yorkers love the hustle and bustle of the streets, but they see their apartments as selfcontained oases that provide respite from the hubbub. Many apartments are advertised as pre-war the apartments built before WWII have richer details and materials than those built after the war and their architecture generally fits well with the context of the neighborhood and street. These pre-war apartments also offer floor plans that shelter the bedrooms from the more public elements of the apartment. For these reasons pre-war apartments are generally highly sought. In this context, it seems logical to group the resident rooms into apartments that have clearly defined entrances that demark the transition between the public and private domains.

6 Each HOUSEHOLD has 12 resident rooms that are fully equipped to support the frailest of residents. Because of the high level of services that can be efficiently provided to the millions of apartments in NYC, many elderly New Yorkers are able to stay in their apartments. When their care needs become too severe or the physical environments become too limiting, they look for long term care providers for a new home. When they move, they want to maintain the qualities that they had in their original homes while living in an environment that supports their frailties and allows caregivers to efficiently care for them. Typical Resident Room

7 Typical Short Term Rehab Floor Plan The plan balances HOSPITALITY and HEALING. The client s home health service and adult day care program support many seniors in their homes, but for many, a health crisis leads to a hospital stay and the need for a high level of medical support and rehabilitation. For this provider, being a supportive member of the community meant developing a program that returns these seniors back to their normal lives in their homes and neighborhoods. Four floors are dedicated to balancing health care and hospitality to create a healing environment that allows the minds, bodies and spirits to mend.