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Successful Designs
Case studies on development
By Frank Rees, Rees Associates Inc.
 Two
organizations chose to provide the highest quality assisted-living product (services, care
and facilities) to the frail senior population as a portion of their corporate mission. In
both instances, the assisted-living residence was located immediately adjacent to a
hospital campus and became part of a continuum- of-care community.
Heartsworth House, which is owned by the adjacent hospital, is located in rural
Oklahoma, has no identified local competition, a relatively low labor cost and a desire to
provide the highest quality service possible. Heartsworth was created to eliminate the
need for outward migration for the seniors of the Venita, Okla., region. The project
filled in less than four months and remains full with a waiting list.
Atria Communities, owned by Atria Communities Inc., is a public company without an
ownership relationship to the adjacent hospital. Atria Communities is located in
Carrollton, Texas, an upper- middle-income market in the suburban Dallas area with a
relatively high labor cost and a very high level of competition. Similar to Heartsworth,
Atria's goal is to provide the best service possible to its residents and their families.
Although these two companies have similar goals and have had similar successes dealing
in separate markets, Heartsworth offers a one-bedroom assisted living unit at $1,700 per
month, while Atria offers a similar product for $2,500. Both facilities reflect a
residential, architectural and interior-design style necessary to attract seniors to a
healthcare campus. Although they have different architectural styles, each facility
exhibits the look or style of the upscale homes within its geographic area.
 Heartsworth
provides a studio or a one-bedroom unit with a kitchenette so that the resident may have
their own meals independently, according to their meal-plan preference. Because of heavy
competition in the area, Atria must demonstrate a better value and lifestyle than its many
competitors. Therefore, it offers studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with full
kitchens, allowing the community to differentiate its assisted-living unit from the
competition, none of which offer full kitchens.
Due to a higher fixed cost of delivering service, Atria needed to develop 90 living
units to make the project financially feasible. The community was designed as a
three-story building in order to keep the residential walking distance from the apartment
areas to the common rooms within acceptable limits. This height requirement was in
conflict with the desire to design a facility with an appearance similar to the
higher-quality homes in the area. Therefore, architects had to be creative in their
design, which successfully disguised the three-story building to provide a residential
appearance.
Atria Carrollton opened in August, achieving 40 percent occupancy in 10 days,
indicating that the community should have little problem in achieving full occupancy
within a very short time.
Frank W. Rees Jr., AIA, received his degree in architecture from the University of
Oklahoma and is a graduate of the Harvard School of Business. He serves as president and
CEO of Rees Associates Inc., an international planning, architecture and interior design
firm established in 1975 that serves its clients from offices in Dallas and Oklahoma City.
Rees Associates Inc. is recognized as a leader in the retirement and healthcare industry,
having served on more than 700 related assignments throughout the world. For more
information, Mr. Rees may be contacted at (214) 522-7337.
Heartsworth House
- 25 assisted-living units (studios and one-bedrooms)
- 50 independent-living units (one- and two-bedrooms)
- 75 total units
- Site: approximately 4 acres
- 65,000 gross square feet
- Construction Cost: $4.5 million
- Square-Foot Cost: $69
- Development Time: 17 months to design and construct
Atria Assisted Living
- 66 assisted-living units (studios, one- and two-bedrooms)
- 24 Alzheimer's-care units (studios and one-bedrooms)
- 90 total units
- Site: approximately 3.5 acres
- 65,000 gross square feet
- Construction Cost: $5.9 million
- Square-Foot Cost: $89
- Development Time: 17 months to design and construct
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