Nestled in an oak grove, David’s House is a residential care facility for adults recovering from traumatic brain injuries. The residence has the capacity for 7 residents, support staff, and an on-site manager, and includes the following spaces: seven bedrooms and adjoining toilet rooms, two large shared bathing rooms, a rehabilitation room, a laundry room, an office, and a common living room, dining room and kitchen.

The building’s layout was inspired by the seasonal creek running on one side of the facility and a beautiful view of the oak grove on the other. The two bedroom wings wrap around the central courtyard and the main view. Covered areas at both the front and the back of the residence allow for places to sit while being sheltered from the weather. Private nooks, seating alcoves and bay windows, are found around the edges of the public spaces, providing areas of contemplation for residents outside of their rooms.

It was important to the client that the facility feels more like a home than a hospital. This was essential in the selection of the finish materials for the spaces, as much care was taken to find products that were durable but not institutional in appearance. Low-maintenance resilient flooring that looks like wood was used in the corridors. Rather than using plastic laminate wainscot as would be seen in a hospital, a rich, maple veneer plank was used in the corridors. The warm, neutral tones give the space a more residential ambiance without compromising durability or cleanability.

Sustainability was also a primary consideration as it is important for a rehabilitation center to be healthy for both residents and the environment. This project boasts a solar-heated hot water system, greatly reducing the amount of electricity used at this facility. All of the stormwater is managed on-site through the use of flow-through planters and a bioswale, thus the water is diverted from the municipal systems and serves to recharge the groundwater instead. Marmoleum flooring, a naturally low-VOC product, is used in the toilet rooms, kitchen and laundry room.

The Umpqua Community Development Corporation developed this project. The schematic design and estimate we prepared were packaged and submitted for the State’s Consolidated Funding Cycle to secure funding for the construction of this project.

David’s House was awarded first place in the 2008 People’s Choice Award for Institutional/Public Architecture by the A.I.A. Southwestern Oregon Chapter.

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