Design for Aging Community Blog

Melinda Avila-Torio—A Calling for Compassion

By Megan Lorian Crites AIA posted 04-03-2024

A Calling for Compassion Melinda Avila-Torio, NCIDQ, RID, CHID, CASP, LEED ® AP, IIDA, is an interior designer, focused on the full spectrum of senior living design. She is an active board member with the AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community. ...

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Vanessa Shumate—A World of Experience

By Megan Lorian Crites AIA posted 03-02-2024

A World of Experience Vanessa Shumate was raised in a small town in northeastern Kentucky. She has always had a creative side and started early in life with a love for art. For a research project during her senior year of high school on a profession ...

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Susan Feeney—A Passion for Compassion

By Megan Lorian Crites AIA posted 02-20-2024

A Passion for Compassion Susan Feeney is an architect with Steele Group Architects, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Steele Group is primarily focused on multi-family housing and senior living, doing work throughout the Southeastern United ...

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Claire Dickey—A Change of Heart

By Megan Lorian Crites AIA posted 01-22-2024

A Change of Heart Claire Dickey, AIA is Principal at HESTIA design collective , a small architecture and interior design firm in Middleburg, Virginia. Her original intent for her college journey was to pursue a pre-med major, however, because of ...

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Alexis Burck—Equitable Leader

By Megan Lorian Crites AIA posted 03-17-2023

Equitable Leader Alexis Burck has a tenacious resolve to say when enough is enough and we can do better. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Alexis resides in the bay area of Oakland, CA with her family. Graduating from Carleton College with ...

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Helen Jadlowski—Design Architect

By Megan Lorian Crites AIA posted 02-21-2023

Design Architect Helen Jadlowski is deeply rooted in architectural design. She relates her design process to a game of chess with careful strategic moves across a site. As a design architect at SFCS Architects, she works in the early stage of ...

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Sarah Gregory—Getting it Done

By Megan Lorian Crites AIA posted 11-28-2022

Getting it Done Sarah Gregory is a vocal advocate in design for aging putting her expertise to good use. With an energetic and passionate personality, Sarah may appear modest, but her work is paving the way for future designers and industry leaders. ...

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Emily Pierson-Brown—Community Advocate

By Megan Lorian Crites AIA posted 11-01-2022

Community Advocate Emily Pierson-Brown is passionate about advocacy and community service. Harnessing this passion as fuel to her work, Emily has created a place for herself that encompasses her skills and sets her apart from the crowd. As a licensed ...

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Cynthia Shonaiya—The Project Magician

By Megan Lorian Crites AIA posted 10-18-2022

The Project Magician Cynthia Shonaiya’s project expertise runs from soup to nuts. As a multi-faceted, tenacious individual, Cynthia goes both broad and deep in her work. In 1997, Cynthia decided to plant her roots in Baltimore, after immigrating ...

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Revisiting Design Philosophies for Desegregating Dementia Environments

By Claire G. Dickey AIA posted 07-06-2022

Revisiting design philosophies for desegregating dementia environments By Justin Wolf This past April, the Design for Aging (DFA) Knowledge Community hosted an education session titled “ Design Philosophies for Desegregated Dementia Environments .” ...

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Enhancing the environment to engage social interactions

By Maggie Brown posted 07-16-2021

Enhancing the environment to engage social interactions By Miao Jia It’s common to acknowledge that disconnectedness between older adults and their social context easily happens when they move into the unfamiliar environment of a long-term care community. ...

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Get Ready: Changes are coming to the 2022 FGI Guidelines

By Quinn A. deMenna AIA posted 04-30-2021

The next edition of the Facility Guidelines Institute ’s Guidelines documents will be released in early 2022. Written as minimum standards, the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals ; Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient ...

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An Oral History of Hurricane Harvey

By April Ward posted 04-30-2021

Seniors seeking housing, health, and climate justice in the Gulf Coast, North America Introduction Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas during Hurricane season, August 2017, and left behind compounded devastation in the neighborhoods historically ...

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ONLINE TRAINING OF FACILITATORS IN INSPIRING & EMPOWERING SENIORS TO AGE IN PLACE SUCCESSFULLY

By Charles R. Durrett AIA Member Emeritus posted 09-16-2020

In these COVID times, architect and pioneer of senior cohousing in North America, Charles “Chuck” Durrett (Durrett Architects) worries about seniors now more than ever. This is no time to be isolated. Seniors in cohousing are socially distanced but not ...

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Opinion: Why We Can't Ignore College-Based Senior Cohousing

By Charles R. Durrett AIA Member Emeritus posted 09-16-2020

Opinion: Why We Can’t Ignore College-Based Senior Cohousing by Charles Durrett and Bernice Gonzalez of Durrett Architects. You need to build strong healthy relationships in good times, so you are ready for times such as these. And preferably ...

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