TILLMAN DESIGN
Architectural & Graphic Design
Supporting a Healthy Lifestyle
This design was focused around supporting wellness in a variety of ways, including encouraging movement and activity, providing access to daylight and views, and creating connections with the surrounding community.
In many cases, facilities for residents with special needs have resources entirely focused on housing and healthcare, allowing the residents to meet their basic needs but lacking the necessary resources and community support for them to grow and excel as healthy individuals. Providing access to services beyond the occupants’ core needs not only gives them the opportunity to develop richer and more independent lives, but the shared amenities also help the occupants to form connections with the surrounding communities.
Advantages of Existing Infrastructure
This proposal centered around connecting a new housing complex to a community services facility built within repurposed abandoned big box outlet at Ridgedale Mall. In addition to the cost savings from renovating the majority of the project as opposed to new construction, malls are typically located within city / suburban centers, providing nearby connections to necessary resources like grocery stores, gyms, libraries, and job possibilities.
Replacing Parking with Park Space
Because malls typically have more parking than is required for much of the year, we proposed replacing swathes of existing parking with urban park space. Not only would this be highly beneficial to residents, but it would become an amenity to the local community and mall shoppers as well. The green space would also create the physical and visual separation necessary to have a restorative housing complex connected to a mall, and additionally provide a range of environmental benefits.
The proposed design’s massing prioritizes maintaining natural light and views for occupants as much as possible, while also creating natural flow around the site. The massing steps upward, creating opportunities for rooftop patios and gardens at various points.
The mall building has primarily been converted to health and well-being resources for both residents and the communities. This was seen both as a benefit to local residents as well as a potential boost to the mall’s businesses. A small proportion of retail spaces adjacent to the connection to the rest of the mall creates a buffer between the two space types while also providing job opportunities for residents. Within the housing complex, apartments have been grouped in clusters of mixed types and provided with small shared social spaces in order to encourage the development of social connections and support.
The site’s prominent slope requires entries on the east side to be a full level higher than on the west side. The link building at the south face of the mall aids that level transition as well as creating a secure entry space for residents and users of the shared facilities. A wide variety of meeting and education spaces allow for job training, life skills, and other types of classes to be offered to residents and the surrounding community.
The building circulation was designed as a loop in part to provide a secondary low impact exercise option for residents during cold winter months.
Rooftop gardens on both the existing building and housing complex allow residents to learn new life skills, gain the therapeutic benefits associated with gardening, and have some level of nutritional resilience and independence.
View at Southwest Entry
The massing of the building forms helps the courtyard feel open while retaining a sense of privacy and seclusion.
Close attention was paid to retaining sunlight and views for all residents.
Breaks in the large building masses allow for additional sunlight into the central courtyard.
