Senior Centers
Kane Center
Stuart, FL
The Council on Aging of Martin County, Inc. moved in to their new Senior Center in 2010. Located on a 9.1 acre site in Stuart, Florida, the building is one story with 35,000 SF. It was designed as a special needs evacuation center which will be used in the event of a hurricane or other disaster situation. The building has been designed to withstand 140 mph winds and the exterior components of the building designed to be impact resistant. The entire building can be powered by an emergency generator. The building is certified ‘green’, through the LEED process as developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The meeting room has a full functioning stage with state-of-the-art sound and light systems which has been used for functions ranging from church services to weddings to tropical luaus.
The building consists of the following functional areas:
Town center designed with a Key West theme
Adult day care
Assembly room with seating up to 400
Administration
Commercial kitchen
Maintenance and pet care department
Wellness center
Medical clinic
This special building has set a high standard for senior centers not only in Florida but throughout the country.
St. Cloud Senior Center
St. Cloud, FL
With this project, completed in 2003, we worked closely with the City of St. Cloud to design a building that would cater to the active seniors of the area as well as serve as a special needs evacuation shelter for Osceola County during hurricanes and other disaster situations. The building is approximately 16,675 SF which includes a large stage and dance floor, state of the art sound system, meeting room spaces, and commercial kitchen. The main focus of this facility was to support the weekly dancing and high energy activities of the local senior citizens. All assembly spaces feature a natural wood floor to enhance the different types of dancing and other forms of entertainment that occur daily in this facility. The building was used successfully as a special needs evacuation shelter in the fall of 2004 when 4 hurricanes swept through central Florida.
Barney E. Veal Center
Kissimmee, FL
This project was completed in 2004 and is fully occupied by the Council on Aging. The total building square footage is approximately 38,000 SF which includes a multifunctional activity space, large commercial size kitchen, administration offices, health clinic, day care, dementia specific day care, courtyards, and even a beauty parlor. The concept was to create a multi-functional facility that is inviting and welcoming that supports the needs, activities, and growth of the senior community in Osceola County. This building was also designed to function as a special needs evacuation center, designed to withstand wind speed of140 mph, impact resistant windows and doors, and 2 generators that will power the entire building during an evacuation scenario. The 6,000 SF kitchen is used to prepare as many as 2,000 meals per day including the Meals on Wheels program and congregate meals which are served in one of the gathering rooms.