When Hebrew Senior Life (HSL) began planning for NewBridge on the Charles - a 162-acre senior living community – they turned to the Architect/Design team of Perkins Eastman. The campus includes private cottages, independent and assisted living spaces, a community center equipped with a library, auditorium, and fitness center, and a state of the art healthcare facility. Their vision was of a real community where residents could gather together and with their visitors to enjoy everyday life. With almost one million square feet of building space on campus, one of the most talked about features is their one-of-a-kind healthcare center offering the additional benefit of quality and onsite care when needed.

According to Interior Designer Laurie Butler, the primary charge for the campus’ healthcare facility was implementing NewBridge’s new model of care, which was creating a hospital within a home. To that end, Perkins Eastman used InterfaceFLOR modular carpet to create a variety of beautiful spaces that are comfortable, quiet and easy to maintain.

Keeping Things Interesting
Laurie says, “They realized that their residents would be on the campus quite a bit – some for a long time – and they wanted it to be very comfortable and pleasant.” So she brought the “outside” in with large windows for natural lighting and beautiful views. She also created distinct areas using a variety of modular carpet patterns and colors that provide a home-like sense of warmth and comfort.

Not Hearing is Believing
“With any senior environment, acoustics is very important. That’s why we chose modular carpet over hard surfaces for the majority of the floor,” says Butler. Rather than reflect sound as hard surfaces do, modular carpet absorbs them to create a quieter, more peaceful atmosphere. According to Mary Miller, the calm surroundings are not only better for the patients, but also for the staff. “If the environment is relaxed, then the residents are less agitated, which is all the better for guests too.”

How is it doing?
Since the busy healthcare facility opened in November 2009, the staff has been pleased. Even with the constant traffic of residents, staff and visitors, as well as the occasional accident, the carpeting continues to look great.

Housekeeping Manager Ruth Raposo, whose previous experience was in hospitality, says that modular carpet is easier to maintain than broadloom. Unlike with broadloom carpet, which has padding beneath it, modular carpet is not only easy to pick up and replace, but it also cleans easier and dries faster. She says, “We had an incident in which a resident fell and sustained minor injuries. We were able to quickly remove and replace the carpet, which we took to the housekeeping area to be cleaned. It made the situation ten times easier. “

Learn more about NewBridge on the Charles:

• NewBridge on the Charles wins Best Long-Term Care facility in the 2010 Healthcare Environment Awards
• Contract Design Features NewBridge On the Charles, “Young at Heart”