Gone are those days when a boring roof and four dull walls put up a house dedicated to senior citizens. The Bahia Meadows brings new hope for the aged with its innovative design and green features. Designed by Standard, a Los Angeles-based design partnership of architects Jeffrey Allsbrook and Silvia Kuhle, the affordable complex in Novato, California is here to present a cheerful and peaceful life to the ones who have worked really hard all their lives.
Inspired by the wooden, turf-roofed structures of the native people who formerly inhabited the North Bay area, the senior housing is beautiful mix of 30 accessible, low-energy senior dwellings and a range of community spaces. While looking into the privacy of the residents, the houses are designed to allow social interaction between the inhabitants. To the east facing ends of each home, wooden decks give a mesmerizing view of the protected river estuary and the San Pablo Bay.
Green features that the 24-foot wide dwellings flaunt include green roofs, engineered lumber, natural linoleum, recycled carpets, non-off-gassing cabinetry and low-VOC paints. Targeting the “net zero” energy consumption mark, Standard has installed photovoltaic and solar water heating panels. The Bahia Meadows complex design recently received an honorable mention in the California Senior Housing Design Competition.
