Mather Partners with Sunnyside for Wellness

Feb 3, 2020 | News

Mather Architects Partners with Sunnyside for Wellness

With its’ roots in hospital design in the 1950s, Senior Living has come a long way!  The old nursing home was essentially a hospital “light”.  We have evolved as an industry to now be more aligned with the Hospitality industry.  After all, people would much rather spend time at a Country Club or a Resort, than at a hospital!

With this evolution, retirement communities now offer amenities of a finer life, such as Wellness programs, dining options, classes and activity areas, live music, chapel, and church functions, specialized programs and care, etc.

We want to discuss one of those elements in this article.

A Wellness Program

We are under construction currently with a new Wellness Center for Sunnyside Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, Va.   Sunnyside has aligned its philosophy of senior care with the idea of helping its residents live healthily and “well”.  This involves many components, such as diet, activities, education, and having a state-of-the-art Wellness Facility.  Through detailed discussion with and guidance from their staff, we developed a facility that provides for the activities that they would like to offer, while not going “overboard” in terms of size and cost.  We all worked very hard to do the most for Wellness while not spending an overly large amount of money.

The new building is located in the center of their campus and encompasses 12,000 sf.   Included inside this one-story building is an open Fitness Room with state-of-the-art fitness equipment, a separate Group Fitness Room, a Walking Track, a 60 ‘ lap pool, a Spa Tub, Locker Rooms for Men, Women, and Family, and a Reception area with casual seating and a drink bar.
The structure consists of open, sloping wood beams that offer a warm and very open feel.  The building is also designed to be expandable in the future.

This project makes a statement about the commitment that Sunnyside has to the health and wellness of its residents, and will doubtlessly bring life, health, and happiness to many over the years!