Firm： NSDA Architects

Type： Government + Health › Aging Facility Medical Facility Residential › Multi Unit Housing

STATUS： Built

YEAR： 2010

SIZE： 100,000 sqft - 300,000 sqft

Gateway Lodge is an innovative Community of Care project located in Prince George. It has 94 complex care beds for frail elderly who require 24-hour nursing care and 78 assisted living units. The client, Northern Health desired a non-institutional residential environment that fostered social opportunities between the two lifestyles and to the community-at-large.

The project utilizes a decentralized approach to create “households or homes” comprised of a small grouping of fourteen to twenty residents, similar to an extended family arrangement. Each home has its own dining, living, activity and bathing area, permitting the residents in their daily lives to live among familiar faces in an emotionally supportive environment. The homes are configured in plan to create secured gardens and oriented for maximum exposure to natural light, views and fresh air. Resident rooms are arranged around the perimeter, with support service rooms in a central core allowing the corridor to form an internal “wandering loop” for Alzheimer’s residents. Several shared realms and a major community gathering space link the homes providing opportunities for interaction and socialization.