Gateway Lodge

Over the past several decades, gerontology research has clearly shown the design of the physical environment has a profound impact on the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the elderly. Gateway Lodge utilizes an innovative approach “the Home Concept”, a de-centralized model as the foundation for its design.
Project Type
Healthcare
Location
1488 20th Avenue, Prince George, BC
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Located in Prince George, it has 94 complex care beds for frail elderly who require 24-hour nursing care and 78 assisted living units. The client, Northern Health desired a non-institutional residential environment that fostered social opportunities between the two lifestyles and to the community-at-large.

“I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for this beautiful facility…and without fail, the people are very much in awe of the residence. It is a home in which our residents will feel that they are living in splendor, feel safe, and well cared for. You have incorporated many little things that have really made it a home.” – Staff

The project utilizes a decentralized approach to create “households or homes” comprised of a small grouping of fourteen to twenty residents, similar to an extended family arrangement. Each home has its own dining, living, activity and bathing area, permitting the residents in their daily lives to live among familiar faces in an emotionally supportive environment. The homes are configured in plan to create secured gardens and oriented for maximum exposure to natural light, views and fresh air.

Resident rooms are arranged around the perimeter, with support service rooms in a central core allowing the corridor to form an internal “wandering loop” for Alzheimer’s residents. Several shared realms and a major community gathering space link the homes providing opportunities for interaction and socialization.

Gateway Lodge has a modern materially expressive architectural aesthetic that re ects the uniqueness of the North Region.