Russell Hill, The (Great Gulf/Signature Living, 7s, D+S) COMPLETE

[adma]

This explains why the exterior resembles the new Salvation Army building on Jarvis designed by Diamond+Schmitt. Don't know why they went with an institutional look for such a high-end retirement residence. I can't imagine it will appeal to the target market, i.e. wealthy seniors moving out of their elegant homes in Forest Hill. Looks like another dud from Diamond.

Well, imagine the different kind of dud it could have been, i.e. Chedingtonista...

 

[Peepers]

Well, imagine the different kind of dud it could have been, i.e. Chedingtonista...

Actually I believe that a building along the lines of the Chedington is EXACTLY what should have been built here instead of this brown brick box sprung from the "imagination" of A.J. Diamond.

 

[adma]

Actually I believe that a building along the lines of the Chedington is EXACTLY what should have been built here instead of this brown brick box sprung from the "imagination" of A.J. Diamond.

Except that in spirit, that's not for "wealthy seniors moving out of their elegant homes in Forest Hill", Rather, it's for "parents and grandparents of wealthy arrivistes demolishing elegant homes in Forest Hill on behalf of McMansions".

 

[urbandreamer]

Looks pretty good here:

http://dcnonl.com/article/id32446

 

[toronto watcher]

The Russ

The Russell Hill is a rental property with all inclusive services.
Prices start at $4990 per month.
The suites start on the 2nd floor and are all located off a corridor and main elevator.
The main floor and lower level is the amenities including a spa and salon.
There is no 'assisted living floor' but there is a Registered Nurse on site 24 hours per day for emergencies and we do offer different levels of assistance based on need.

 

[Urban Shocker]

The nurse is for when these old codgers get their monthly bills and have heart attacks, I assume?

 

[interchange42]

$5000 a month?

That better come with an all-day all-you-can-eat buffet, shuffleboard, and a cruise director.

Up close, this building looks just fine. I am in the area weekly and have been following its construction. What looks institutional to you Peepers, I just see as clean lines and handsome proportions. I'm not sure why that design language can't be part of the residential vernacular for you. If not, and you really want Chedington, in this area you just have to head up to Forest Hill Road and Heath Street for the Richard Wengle designed lump of tack on the northwest corner.

42

 

[adma]

Or, for that matter, at those townhouses at the SW corner of St Clair + Russell Hill. (On the site of Parkin's Primrose Club, which may make them all the more regrettable.)

 

[toronto watcher]

For $4990 per month and up you get 3 meals per day prepared by our Executive Chef, housekeeping daily, weekly laundry, onsite registered staff 24 hours, physician visiting weekly, room service, 24 hour concierge, driver for errands and appt's, full time programs director (no we are not going to play bingo!), underground parking etc.......

 

[Urban Shocker]

Thank you Stephanie.

What is the approximate square footage of the apartments that have a $4990 monthly fee? And what are the largest apartments ( in square feet ) and the monthly fees for them? That'll give us an idea of the price range.

Also, are any of them furnished?

It sounds like an upscale version of other rental buildings such as Fellowship Towers, Hazelton Place, the Briton House, Belmont House etc. - without the range of care options that some of them offer. And Christie Gardens has apartments that can be purchased, though there's still a monthly amenities fee to be paid.

Thanks, Shocker

 

[Peepers]

$5000 a month?

What looks institutional to you Peepers, I just see as clean lines and handsome proportions. I'm not sure why that design language can't be part of the residential vernacular for you. If not, and you really want Chedington, in this area you just have to head up to Forest Hill Road and Heath Street for the Richard Wengle designed lump of tack on the northwest corner.

42

42 I say institutional because the exterior shot shown above looks just like Diamonds Salvation Army building on Jarvis. While I find nothing offensive with either design I believe that at this price point and in this neighborhood potential residents will expect a lot more Panache ! I suppose I should really reserve judgement until it is complete and I get to see it in person however from the renderings the building does look unexceptional to me .

 

[guitarchitect]

Yeah, I echo this sentiment. I believe seniors will find frivolous items such as hallways, doors, and independent rooms to be overwhelming and scary. Perhaps a giant open room with hospital style curtains would be appropriate?

Frankly, you're being a smartass. If you had asked what I meant - instead of implying something ridiculous - I would have clarified.

As many of us know, the sub-urbs are terrible and devoid of character. The labyrinthine road system is hard enough to navigate for a first-time visitor with all their mental faculties, let alone a senior citizen who is starting to lose them. all the houses look the same, if you've never been there before.

And so it is with an artificially lit corridor, off of which you just have doors. plain, banal, personality-less doors. Sure, you can hang something on your door, but that's about the extent of the degree to which you can personalize your entry. What qualities about a hallway or a door with no window speaks to the character of the individual? Isn't a sense of identity (and independence) important to foster for the elderly, considering - in all honesty - for many of them that is all they have left?

Another important aspect of an elderly residence is the social aspect - both of my grandmothers play a *lot* of cards. Yet it becomes a very "private" affair, when they have to book an activity room in which to play cards, or when the staff schedule a "card-playing" time, where they all file into a room to play at a pre-determined time.

What I'm getting at is that there are better ways to design the typical hallway/room model. Lessons can be taken from university residence design - for example, the planning strategy of 4 rooms around a common kitchen/eating/living area... everyone gets shared space, but everyone also has private space. You can also do more with hallways - widen them and make them an indoor "street", where people can play cards in a common space/niche, opening up the possibility of casual encounters or run-ins, fostering a social atmosphere. It's pretty much impossible to do that in both the residences my grandparents live in, which comprise a small-ish room that fit a bed/television/dresser/nightstand and a chair, has a bathroom, but otherwise there's no way to really have a social gathering in the room (I realize the russel hill is better than this... that's a general critique of more affordable senior residences). and it's rare that you see anyone in the hall, because there's no reason to *be* in the hall - rather than a space to bump into people or chat, it's uncomfortable.

There is also the potential to have windows opening onto the hallway - so that anyone looking for a visit can open the blinds or open the door to say "come on in", or keep them closed to indicate they would like privacy. You never get any communication between the public/private realm in a conventionally designed room-off-hallway setup. Just having a wide door that can stay open can do plenty to encourage the casual pop-ins that the elderly - who lets face it, have nothing to do but chat - sustain themselves with. None of this even begins to address the fact that LIGHT is a very important part of social space, and the configurations of which I speak would require skylit interior streets... meaning single-story buildings. And what about a space to display personal effects, built into the wall? A memory box so to speak, that tells the story of the person... if someone asks about a photo/object, it's a chance to share a piece of the life they've lived, remember the good old days, etc.

I realize everything I've said is subjective, arguable, etc, and i've given a lot of "off-the-top-of-my-head" ideas which may not be completely resolved... but at the same time, I work in the field and I know what the options are (and by extension, the un-fulfilled potential there is). I also know there are great models for elderly housing which aren't adopted by the standard developer, because they eat into the bottom line and might not be as profitable at the beginning. Which is a shame, because with the coming demographic shift, it's going to be fundamentally important to understand the best ways to house the seniors - over the next 20 years, we need to figure out what works best. The world needs to experiment and find a good model. We need to take the most up-to-date scientific knowledge and apply it to housing - there are a variety of ways that proper spatial planning can begin to encourage activity that staves off dementia (physical exercise being one thing, mental challenges the other... bridge players who passed on have been dissected and had a brain that looked like an alzheimer's patient, but they showed none of the symptoms) I'm fairly certain that nondescript hallways with rooms stacked on top of each other is not the best solution to the problem.

So, I'd like to hear what everyone thinks - ESPECIALLY you, toronto watcher, since you ignored me the first time around and you have a vested interest in housing the seniors. frankly, egotrippin, don't respond unless you're interested in the conversation.

Some links:
http://tinyurl.com/housing-competition
http://tinyurl.com/pelgromhof

 

[urbandreamer]

8 March 2009 photo update

Another Urbandreamer-approved project:

 

[drum118]

March 13

 

[allabootmatt]

Dare I say it...but the parts of St Clair where the TTC and Hydro actually finished their job look pretty darn dignified these days.