ODVA Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home
CLIENT
Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs
LOCATION
Lebanon, OR
PROGRAM
12-acre Senior Living Campus with Skilled
Nursing and Memory Care Facility
After a decade in which the United States found itself involved in two overseas wars, the need to take care of our retired and wounded soldiers continues to be a paramount responsibility. While the idea of a veterans’ home dates from the early 19th Century, the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs has recognized the need to establish a model of care for the 21st Century — a facility in which older veterans receive the skilled nursing attention they need in a supportive and comfortable community environment. With that in mind, CBTWO Architects, in collaboration with NBBJ Architecture, has designed a new type of veterans’ home based on the “small-house” concept and the Department of Veterans Affairs Community Living Centers design guide.
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This 154-bed facility, which broke ground in October 2012, offers all of the amenities of a typical skilled nursing facility, set within a 12-acre campus environment that emphasizes independence and interpersonal connections. This park-like campus contains four “neighborhoods.” Each neighborhood includes 14 residential units with a central core that features a kitchen, dining room, gathering space and nurse’s office. Each neighborhood is named after alphabetical military signs—Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta. A central community building contains all administration offices, as well as a bistro, a physical therapy center, a large activity room and adjacent lounge, a chapel and library, staff lounges and lockers, as well as other supporting spaces. Everything residents need is available on the campus, set amongst tree-lined pedestrian paths and courtyards.
As the men and women of our Armed Forces age, the need for continuing care will be a progressive necessity. This new design emphasizes the value of the natural environment, a neighborhood atmosphere, and the independence of each resident while providing the highest level of skilled-nursing and memory care.
