Green House Design Honored

November 24, 2003
The Green Houses at Traceway in Tupelo, Mississippi recently received The Design for Aging Citation for Excellence from The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Design for Aging Knowledge Community (DFA) and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA).

The project has been selected for publication in Design for Aging: 2004 Review sponsored by the two organizations. It was exhibited along with eight other Citation for Excellence recipients at the AAHSA Annual Meeting & Exposition, October 26-29, 2003, in Denver, Colorado. It will also be part of an exhibit at the AIA 2004 National Convention and Expo in Chicago, Ill. June 10-12, 2004.

In their comments about The Green Houses at Traceway, the jury wrote “In what may be the ultimate household concept, this nursing residence explores both intimate care provision and perhaps the new model of a nursing environment."

The economies in construction of the building may well offset higher, but more personal, staffing costs. Here, there is a journey toward a new paradigm of nursing care that included the client, the staff, and the designer. Its simplicity and straightforwardness are a credit to the foresight of that collaboration.”

Out of 80 submissions, the jury chose 44 to be included in the Review.

The joint DFA program, in its seventh cycle, includes a juried exhibition, a book, and education programs. The review is developed biannually by the DFA as a means to showcase facilities that improve quality of life for the aging while exhibiting innovation in their design and execution, it seeks to demonstrate architectural design trends and commend excellence but also to serve as a reference for providers, developers, users, advocates, architects, and other design professionals in this growing market.

The Review encompasses a broad view of facilities designed for senior citizens, including nursing homes, dementia care, assisted living, and continuing care retirement communities (CCRC). The year’s Review included three new subcategories: special features, research projects, and sustainable building solutions.