A new atrium is among several upgrades at Lester Senior Living at 903 Route 10 in Whippany. Photos by Nicholas Venezia/Courtesy: DIGroup Architecture
By Joshua Burd
Jewish Community Housing Corp. has unveiled a host of new amenity spaces at a senior living campus in Morris County, following a project spearheaded by DIGroup Architecture.
According to the design team, the updates at the Lester Senior Living property in the Whippany section of Hanover comprise some 20,000 square feet of common areas, all of which are meant to create a greater sense of community. They include re-envisioning the first-floor area as a more interactive space for residents, creating a fresh look for the café and reading room and dining room, along with second-floor additions such as a new theater with tiered seating and THX-quality surround sound, a marquee and a concession area.
New Brunswick-based DIG and its senior living practice have worked with JCHC for nearly a decade, the firm said, and recently detailed the updates at the Route 10 property.
“Each senior living assignment requires us to anticipate the complex needs of the current and future generations of aging adults,” said Vince Myers, principal-in-charge of DIG’s Senior Living Studio and co-founder and president of DIG. “In this spirit, each space is shaped and designed with a dual purpose: to offer sustainability while serving an ever-aging population’s highly unique multitiered physical, social and cognitive needs.”
JCHC’s Lester Senior Living community is a full-service campus that provides independent, assisted and memory care levels as well as respite-stay services, according to a news release. Earlier this year, DIG’s efforts there were recognized as the top nonprofit project in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
“In keeping with DIG’s approach to every project, this design/renovation was no different — we deployed our collaborative process of working with JCHC and LSL ownership and administration as well as enlisting feedback and continual input from the campus’ senior residents, who candidly shared their practical day-to-day needs and requirements,” DIG Associate and Senior Project Manager Jaime Masler Beach said. “This approach ensured every voice was heard and the resulting creative aspect of the design met and exceeded expectations in an efficient and effective manner.”
DIG’s Graphics Design Studio conceived and created elements such as a bold, creative floor-to-ceiling screen and chalkboard imagery in the atrium and cinema, the news release said. In addition, the updates are rounded out by improved access to the rear courtyard, where residents enjoy the outdoors.
“These renovations and their accompanying visuals have also led to fresh, modern marketing content that mirrors the vibrancy of all JCHC and Lester Senior Living have to offer,” Myers added. “While the renovations breathe new life into the 30-year-old Heller Independent and Weston Assisted Living for current residents, they also draw the interest of future residents.”
DIG has senior living projects across New Jersey — including The Atrium at Navesink Harbor in Red Bank, Stonebridge at Montgomery in Skillman, Venetian Care and Rehabilitation in South Amboy and others — as well as assignments for two influential developers with footprints in Arizona, Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida and Virginia.
