ISSUE 2: 2023
now+next Focusing on the growing population of older adults with memory disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, The Cordwainer fills a crucial gap in the post-acute continuum of care for those with memory impairment. Drawing on years of project team experience in memory care design, the 50,000 square foot complex goes beyond traditional approaches and reimagines the environment to address residents’ needs by incorporating biophilic design principles as an essential aspect of the therapeutic approach. The evidence-based programming, architecture, and interior framework enhance human wellbeing through a greater connection to the natural world. A light-filled atmosphere with a material palette of earthy tones, natural wood, moss walls, and organic forms is thoughtfully designed to minimize disorientation and anxiety by incorporating elements that support cognitive function and emotional comfort. The clean and contemporary lines of the architecture recall the Mid-century Modern aesthetic popular during the residents’ youth.
SETTING A NEW DESIGN STANDARD FOR MEMORY CARE COMMUNITIES The Cordwainer is among the first memory care communities nationwide to incorporate Tovertafel. This unique system uses sensor-supported light projection to help seniors with dementia engage in specially designed interactive games, with proven benefits to physical, cognitive, social, and emotional well-being.
Located in a tranquil setting less than an hour from Boston, The Cordwainer was designed for developer and owner-operator Anthemion Senior Lifestyles. “The Cordwainer’s development drew on years of researching advanced memory care concepts, which we then infused into the strategic brainstorming with the design team,” says Tamilyn Liesenfeld, co-founder of Anthemion Senior Lifestyles. “When we first visited this thickly wooded property, we thought it was a perfect setting to create a community that blends with local nature and reimagines how individuals can thrive in a setting created with the latest research in memory care and biophilic design.” TAT’s design for The Cordwainer reflects this innovative focus and recognizes how natural light can have a significant impact on dementia by improving mood and psychoactive symptoms common to the disease. Key solutions include an expansive skylight above the building’s centrally located two-story atrium sensory garden, providing the indoor courtyard with light and serving as a socialization hub.
Every element at The Cordwainer reflects a commitment to industry-leading memory care, blending a sophisticated, modern design sensibility with resident-centric functionality. A range of spaces – including dedicated activity rooms, workshops, and informal living spaces – support the community’s proprietary dementia therapies programming called The Learned Environment, which incorporates curriculum-based activities involving art, music, and foreign language to stimulate cognitive function. The community provides 47 single units and seven companion suites with private bedrooms. A first-floor sunroom offers safe access to the outdoor courtyard with a water feature, pergola, gardening beds, and a putting green. Amenities include the second level’s rooftop terrace, a wood workshop, a barbershop and salon, a fitness center, a private visitation suite for families, and performance and rejuvenation centers.
The therapeutic benefits of natural light have been shown to improve cognition and quality of life for residents living with dementia. Our design solution integrates lighting and circulation strategies, dividing the building volume into four programmatic activity zones, each with its own lighting solution linked by a continuous circulation path. This looping circulation organizes and centralizes core program spaces, segregating them from the more private residential entries. 1-1/2 story north-facing light monitors and floor-to-ceiling windows bring in natural light to the activity zones of these core program spaces, the largest of which is an octagonal skylight centered over an interior two-story garden. The skylight glass is fritted to filter the direct sunlight into the second-floor seating area and the garden spaces below. Within the resident rooms, the focus is creating a calming, familiar residential environment with amber-colored night lights in the bathrooms, switched outlets for task lighting, and oversized windows with draperies for a familiar, home-like approach to lighting control.
ANTHONY VIVIRITO, LEED AP, ASSOCIATE
AVALON NORTH ANDOVER | NORTH ANDOVER, MA
TIMBER FRAME CLUBHOUSE CONNECTS RESIDENTS THROUGH INDOOR + OUTDOOR AMENITIES dog park. Inside the clubhouse, the live-work-play program features a light-filled lounge with a community kitchen, custom banquettes, private work pods, and a state-of-the-art fitness space with two yoga rooms. Located in the Machine Shop Village Historic District, the architecture and interior design pay homage to the site’s industrial past with a modern, functional aesthetic.
Clients: The Green Cities Company, Meredith Management, and Nuveen | Interior Design: Planeta Design Group | Photographer: Ed Wonsek
Photographer: Ed Wonsek
Avalon North Andover is a two-phased master planned 260,000 square foot transit-oriented, multifamily community. The timber framed clubhouse serves as a central hub; expansive storefront windows, high ceilings, and exposed beams blend the boundaries between the indoor and outdoor amenities. Residents enjoy ample outdoor space with a landscaped courtyard, pool, fire pit, grills, and
Photographer: Ed Wonsek
NEW LIFE FOR UNDERUTILIZED MBTA PARCEL The Loop at Mattapan Station is a $57M transit-oriented, Passive House certifiable development that transforms an underutilized MBTA parcel into a lively mixed-use, mixed-income community. Three exterior spaces are available for residents to enjoy: a pocket park with landscaped grounds, a sixth-floor deck, and a spacious outdoor patio seamlessly connected to the clubroom. The 171,000 square foot building is comprised of 135 units, with more than 11,000 square feet of ground floor retail, including The Daily Table, a nonprofit grocery store offering affordable, convenient, and healthy food choices. Designed for Preservation of Affordable Housing and Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation in collaboration with Mass Design Group.
“The program for this TOD is energized with family-centric amenities, including a resident lounge featuring colorful local artwork, a clubroom with an entertainment-sized kitchen, a light-filled gym, and a 2,000-square-foot flexible community room that converts into a half-court basketball play area.” - Jim Podesky, AIA Senior Project Manager
+next PARCEL 9 | PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND Located in Providence Rhode Island’s Innovation and Design District, Parcel 9 will be a new mixed-use, mixed-income development providing 127 units, a childcare facility, and ground-floor retail. In collaboration with TAT’s longtime partner, Pennrose, the project will be delivered in two phases, comprised of studios, onebedroom, and two-bedroom units along with community and commercial spaces, and an active public courtyard and streetscape. Resident amenity spaces include a community lounge, fitness center, indoor bicycle storage, and direct access to the adjacent City Walk, a bicycle and pedestrian path.
+fyi Scan this QR code to view a drone video of The Cordwainer. Client: Anthemion Senior Lifestyles Photographer: Ed Wonsek