As senior living operators look to serve a future generation of older adults, they are in turn designing communities to go bigger on themes such as luxury, wellness, and intergenerational connectivity.

Operators, designers and developers are looking to designs with open-kitchen concepts, high-end finishes and biophilic design to keep their communities attractive and full in the future. But as they do so, they are also balancing those designs with the need to keep rent affordable for the baby boomers. .

Few know that lesson better than senior living operators, including Dan Lavender, CEO of Naples, Florida-based Moorings Park.

The community won the top spot in the Best Independent Living category in the 2023 SHN Architecture and Design Awards thanks to a new expansion that added a building known as the “Grande Lake Clubhouse,” serving both as a clubhouse and an independent living residence. Situated at the center of a 55-acre campus, this addition acts as a vibrant central hub, bringing residents together.

Baby boomers have lived their entire lives with people catering to their tastes. And looking ahead, Lavender said the industry must increasingly serve members of the “Have It Your Way” generation.

“Luxury is a big trend, and we needed to create meaningful experiences,” Lavender said.

Attracting a new generation

In 2024, lifestyle activities and building ties within local communities through intergenerational living or public-facing retail or wellness offerings remain drivers of senior living designs meant for the incoming generation of baby boomers.

Although amenities like pickleball and movie theaters are still mainstays, communities now are being designed with a wider array of eclectic features – including a bowling alley, in the case of Vivante Senior Living’s Vivante Newport Center community in Newport Beach, California, which took the no. 2 spot in the Best Assisted Living category.

“It’s an activity that gets people out of the room,” said Cynthia Shonaiya, principal of senior living Hord Coplan Macht.

HKS Principal and Senior Designer Grant Warner also noted a rise in small “maker spaces” at communities, where residents can work on hobbies or other creative pursuits.

“When we want to create something that’s a little bit more exciting and a little bit more flexible, we’re seeing a wonderful rise in interest in holistic wellness, including brain health,” Warner said.

Moorings Park Grande Lake reimagined its clubhouse with physician access and other healthcare services easily accessible for residents, with the second floor of the clubhouse dedicated to socialization and community events.

Moorings Park focused on “two parts of luxury”: creating great comfort for residents and crafting “extravagance” into everyday resident life by upgrading independent living residences with luxury finishes, and taking “cues from nature” by maximizing lakefront views and emphasizing outdoor connectivity.

By elevating the resident experience, he added Moorings Park was moving away from the notion that senior living is only for people who need health care.

Moorings Park is building on what it learned in the IL project with a new assisted living wing that will add1,600 square-feet of assisted living with full kitchens with technology to assist residents in the event a stove or oven needs to be turned off remotely, Lavender said.

“You have to start thinking it’s independent living plus memory care for us,” Lavender said.

Some operators are approaching the next generation by creating intergenerational communities, from university-based senior living to mixed-use components as part of a broader development push.

Senior living operators are also fostering volunteerism among residents to help build community ties with the broader public.

At Moorings Park, Lavender said resident-led enthusiasm can help drive lifestyle amenities on a campus, having recently formed an orchid greenhouse due to resident passions for gardening, now flowering over 600 orchids. An additional Moorings Park community also has a microbrewery on-site after residents showed a love of craft brews.

“I think sometimes we try to design it all in the front house, but we have to have the flexibility to let residents sometimes lead some of those cool amenities,” Warner said.

Another way panelists said operators could attract the next generation of senior living resident would be through pricing options and achieving middle-market affordability.

“Affordability is one of the challenges that we are all looking for ways to address in the industry,” Shonaiya said.

Technology drives tomorrow’s designs

In the last four years, senior living companies have taken steps to grow technology offerings and IT infrastructure. Now, operators are using technology to improve operations while also enhancing the resident experience.

From implementing new in-unit health sensor technology to robots in the dining room, operators are finding ways to improve operations through tech enablement. Moorings Park will use robotics “as best possible” in an upcoming dining room renovation to assist dining staff.

“You have to make tough choices,” Lavender said. “You have to have the infrastructure ready because all these technologies are going to come down and cost just like every other piece of technology.”

Shonaiya said senior living design trends are also being shaped by technology, with an emphasis on technology integration into the private residence at a community. From bundling in-unit offerings like voice-assisted technology, including Amazon’s Alexa, to integrating non-invasive health monitors, operators are improving living spaces through technology.

Creating tech hubs and spaces for hobbies or lifelong learning are other ways operators are preparing to serve the next generation, Shonaiya said.

“People have a lot to share and are connecting on different platforms, so I think all of that makes everybody more connected,” Shonaiya added. “The idea of lifelong learning and interactions goes both ways.”

Resident safety at higher acuity levels in assisted living and memory care can also be aided by technology, specifically by implementing digital lock systems, Shonaiya said.

“Technology can make the quality of care more personal,” Shonaiya said.