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The SFCS team had a fantastic time at this year’s Environments for Aging (EFA) conference in Atlanta, GA! In addition to supporting our colleagues’ work at the conference this year, including 2023 Environments for Aging Design Champion Amy Carpenter’s SAGE post-occupancy evaluation of the Spires at Berry and Carie Shingleton’s role in conducting acoustical research with Garden Spot Village, we had the privilege of learning immensely from our fellow thought leaders. Here are a few highlights from experience.
Joe Jasmon, Alicia Nicolay, and Grant Warner described a new model they have developed for middle-market Assisted Living and Memory Support at Elevate Senior Living. They kept square footage down in creative ways, leveraging the Florida climate to create outdoor walkways instead of corridors and trading resident unit square footage for 22-step access to household amenities, which also optimizes coordination for care staff, allowing for more efficient and attentive care. They also designed their households to be convertible from Assisted to Memory Support at the flip of an access control switch, allowing for flexible operations. Incredible work!
Jay Weingarten, Andrey Teleguz, and Larry Graeve talked about ways in which their practices are incorporating AI (Artificial Intelligence) in AEC. In addition to innovations in construction technology, the panel discussed workflow optimizations in BIM using AI and task-automation plugins, AI-powered data integration for managing emails, drawing sets and more, and leveraging AI to mine data on labor rates, material costs, and demographics for program development and cost modeling. SFCS has been exploring Design applications for AI as well, and it was insightful to hear what others are doing in the field.
Addie Abushousheh, Gaius Nelson, and John Shoesmith with the Healthcare Guidelines Revision Committee (HGRC) presented proposed changes coming to the Facility Guidelines Institute’s (FGI) in the FGI 2026 revision cycle. These included: the addition of Behavioral & Mental Health as a new facility type and the removal of the Independent Living facility type, the establishment of a minimum ratio of private resident rooms and new minimum room sizes in some facility types, and the phasing out of clinical sinks. Our principal Allen McNutt sits on the HGRC along with these amazing folks. It has been rewarding to follow and contribute to the development of FGI 2026. We plan to contribute further to the process when the Public Comment Period opens July 1st and encourage you to do the same!
Our team is committed to providing quality service, meaningful connections, and thoughtful design. We believe the balance of these key elements has the power to encourage relationships and create exceptional environments where people – and projects – can flourish.
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