The New Wave of Foodservice Technology in Senior Care

Legat Architects, Rolling Hills Place

Rolling Hills Place – Zion, Illinois
Legat Architects – Waukegan, Illinois
Type of Facility/Setting: Assisted Living

Facility Contact: Paula Kubica, Administrator

Firm: Legat Architects, (847) 662-3535

Design Team: William E. Steed, AIA, Director of Healthcare; April S. Maifield, Team Leader (Legat Architects); Jack L. Bowersox, Design Consultant (Mag~Net Architectural Alliance); Julia Redwine, Interior Designer (Studio One Design)

Photography: April S. Maifield

Resident Capacity: 68 (60 units)

Space/Resident (sq. ft.): 710

Total Area (sq. ft.): 48,100

Total Cost (excluding land): $5.6 million

Cost/Sq. Ft.: $115

Completion: July 2001

Industry leaders have forecasted the next trend in senior housing to be a continuum of care, either within a single structure or in a campus setting. To take advantage of this trend, the Slovak American Charitable Association decided to construct a 60-unit assisted living facility, Rolling Hills Place, adjacent to their existing 133-bed skilled nursing facility, Rolling Hills Manor.

The footprint of Rolling Hills Place was located adjacent to the skilled nursing facility, aligning the resident wings of both buildings. This allowed for eight to nine resident units per wing, which shortened travel distances to common areas and helped create small, natural social groups among the residents of Rolling Hills Place. At the intersection of the resident wings are the “neighborhoods,” areas that allow staff to encourage residents to meet on a daily basis in the common areas for activities such as baking snacks, listening to music or singing.

The team worked with local regulatory officials to design a fully functional residential kitchen in the activity areas of the neighborhoods. Because the activities that the staff would be offering residents, and the control the staff would have over the use of the appliances, were clearly described, the regulatory officials allowed the use of residential appliances instead of commercial equipment with its exhaust requirements.

The covered porches at the main entry and southern resident wings expand the opportunities for residents to engage in social interaction outdoors during warmer weather.


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