#FOAUniversalDesign
project name: Tierra De Dios (God's Land) - Communal Living
client name: Tierra De Dios, G.P.
project brief: With the aging population of Baby Boomers, many design challenges have begun to emerge. Greatest of these design problems is: how can designing for Age-ing facilitate aging in place and community involvement throughout the golden years? Some solutions such as retirement homes and nursing homes have been around for a while, but an emerging trend is that of "Communal" living, especially for BabyBoomer women.
As life happens, circumstances change and many of these women are finding that making arrangements to room together and choosing the company of friends is of utmost importance as they embark on what has come to be known as 'The Golden Girls' phenomenon. With benefits such as aging with camaraderie, laughter, understanding, and support of a close group of family/friends, and sharing a healthy lifestyle including good food from their own gardens, green living and shared activities, one can begin to see why more Baby Boomers are choosing this type of arrangement.
Three of these wonderful ladies have graced our firm with the privilege of helping them plan their dream retirement home, and aide them in translating their vision into reality. Although we are still very early in the design process, the Aging In Place / Universal Design category of this competition just spoke to all of us as the project’s design objectives are almost a direct translation of Aging In Place / Universal Design: These designs are simple and intuitive, with features and products that allow people of all ages and physical abilities to live comfortably and safely, and that enable people to participate in family and community life for much longer than they otherwise would have.
The site sits on a 5.6 Acre tract in a quiet and semi-private subdivision of Fair Oaks Ranch, TX, just Northwest of the San Antonio Metro area. An unnamed tributary for a major creek runs through a large portion of the site rear boundary. Placement of two structures, a Main House and Guest House, is currently being explored in order to maximize communal living, yet allow for privacy between the two homes. Site challenges such as the floodplain, sloping of site, and existing setbacks dictated by HOA, are all carefully being balanced in order to properly achieve desired results while minimizing the environmental impact on the site caused by the new construction.
Scenic views prevail towards the West where the majestic beauty of the Texas Hill Country can be truly appreciated. Site elements and strategies such as shared patios, lookout towers, community gardens, water catchment/conservation, greywater systems, and passive solar architectural strategies are all clear goals in the design of this project. The clients have also expressed interest in using the rear portion of their property as a community outreach/learning opportunity to welcome and teach underprivileged youth of the area about wildlife preservation, including flora and fauna. This type of philanthropic activity can also help keep them actively engaged in their community. As stewards of the built environment, we architects are tasked with keeping sustainable design strategies at the core of our work, regardless of scale/size and exposure/publicity of a project, and whether LEED accreditation is being sought or not.
Among Architectural and Interior Architecture strategies and considerations are mobility-limited accommodations for future adaptability, such as: wheelchair space below sinks and vanities, wider hallways and door/threshold openings, larger shower areas, walk-in closets with adequate turning radiuses, easily accessible kitchen countertops and cabinets, and limited changes in elevation/stairs/steps within the living areas. The goal is not to design to ADA or FHA accessibility guidelines, but instead to facilitate and provide small features/details that will ease aging in place and allow the dwellers to live safely and comfortably while allowing for future accessibility accommodations as they are necessary.
Please stay tuned and continue to follow this Ideabook as more design ideas, concepts, and sketches are uploaded as the design of this project progresses.
client name: Tierra De Dios, G.P.
project brief: With the aging population of Baby Boomers, many design challenges have begun to emerge. Greatest of these design problems is: how can designing for Age-ing facilitate aging in place and community involvement throughout the golden years? Some solutions such as retirement homes and nursing homes have been around for a while, but an emerging trend is that of "Communal" living, especially for BabyBoomer women.
As life happens, circumstances change and many of these women are finding that making arrangements to room together and choosing the company of friends is of utmost importance as they embark on what has come to be known as 'The Golden Girls' phenomenon. With benefits such as aging with camaraderie, laughter, understanding, and support of a close group of family/friends, and sharing a healthy lifestyle including good food from their own gardens, green living and shared activities, one can begin to see why more Baby Boomers are choosing this type of arrangement.
Three of these wonderful ladies have graced our firm with the privilege of helping them plan their dream retirement home, and aide them in translating their vision into reality. Although we are still very early in the design process, the Aging In Place / Universal Design category of this competition just spoke to all of us as the project’s design objectives are almost a direct translation of Aging In Place / Universal Design: These designs are simple and intuitive, with features and products that allow people of all ages and physical abilities to live comfortably and safely, and that enable people to participate in family and community life for much longer than they otherwise would have.
The site sits on a 5.6 Acre tract in a quiet and semi-private subdivision of Fair Oaks Ranch, TX, just Northwest of the San Antonio Metro area. An unnamed tributary for a major creek runs through a large portion of the site rear boundary. Placement of two structures, a Main House and Guest House, is currently being explored in order to maximize communal living, yet allow for privacy between the two homes. Site challenges such as the floodplain, sloping of site, and existing setbacks dictated by HOA, are all carefully being balanced in order to properly achieve desired results while minimizing the environmental impact on the site caused by the new construction.
Scenic views prevail towards the West where the majestic beauty of the Texas Hill Country can be truly appreciated. Site elements and strategies such as shared patios, lookout towers, community gardens, water catchment/conservation, greywater systems, and passive solar architectural strategies are all clear goals in the design of this project. The clients have also expressed interest in using the rear portion of their property as a community outreach/learning opportunity to welcome and teach underprivileged youth of the area about wildlife preservation, including flora and fauna. This type of philanthropic activity can also help keep them actively engaged in their community. As stewards of the built environment, we architects are tasked with keeping sustainable design strategies at the core of our work, regardless of scale/size and exposure/publicity of a project, and whether LEED accreditation is being sought or not.
Among Architectural and Interior Architecture strategies and considerations are mobility-limited accommodations for future adaptability, such as: wheelchair space below sinks and vanities, wider hallways and door/threshold openings, larger shower areas, walk-in closets with adequate turning radiuses, easily accessible kitchen countertops and cabinets, and limited changes in elevation/stairs/steps within the living areas. The goal is not to design to ADA or FHA accessibility guidelines, but instead to facilitate and provide small features/details that will ease aging in place and allow the dwellers to live safely and comfortably while allowing for future accessibility accommodations as they are necessary.
Please stay tuned and continue to follow this Ideabook as more design ideas, concepts, and sketches are uploaded as the design of this project progresses.
Guest House Parti
Generic Sun Study - July 10:30am
Generic Sun Study - July 6:30pm
Generic Sun Study - February 10:30am
Generic Sun Study - February 5:00pm
Guest House Conceptual Floorplan
Guest House - Conceptual Perspective from South
Guest House - Conceptual Perspective from North
Conceptual Building Layout - Scheme C
Conceptual Floor Plan - Scheme C
Scheme C - Perspective
Scheme C - Perspective
Scheme C - Perspective
Scheme C - Perspective
Preliminary Site Analysis
Q