Title: Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center
Location of Proejct: 2001 Henry Tecklenburg Drive, Charleston, South Carolina 29414
Project Completion Date: 01/24/2019
Firm Name: Liollio Architecture

Short Description: Nestled in the woods adjacent to a busy suburban medical campus, this senior center explores an architectural language of visual connectivity through a restrained, sensible structure grounded in nature. Composed of horizontal and vertical cedar siding, pine overhangs, and smooth concrete, the building’s exterior material palette extends into its interior, providing visual wayfinding cues and reinforcing the facilities main central hub. The contrast between the rough texture of the exterior cedar siding and silken finish of pine animate the interior spaces. Sweeping panoramic views through large interior windows and clerestories frame the exterior while providing an abundance of natural light.

Architect's Statement: The Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center in Charleston is a public/private partnership between the City of Charleston and Roper St. Francis Healthcare, a major health provider, established to provide a social, healthy living conduit to activate the community’s active senior population. With Charleston’s rapid population growth and a key retirement destination to many baby boomers, the new facility provides a modern activity venue for cultural and social gatherings, classes, health education, fitness and fellowship.

As they age, many older adults downsize, move to apartments or smaller homes, and, often as a result, become disengaged with their new community. They are faced with creating new friendships, new routines, and new priorities. Today’s Senior Center concept celebrates the vitality of older adults, while helping revitalize their place in society. Today’s seniors want to deny the ageism stereotype often used to define them. They want to continue living actively and they want their voices heard. Just as every community has a history, the stories and active voices of our aging population are vital.

To create an engaging environment that encourages community is the essence of the design approach. This new approximately 16,000 SF senior center nestled in the woods adjacent to the busy Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital campus in the West Ashley area provides adults who are age 50+ the opportunity to exercise, socialize, and engage through a variety of activities and events focused on active lifestyles, well-being, and growth. Participants are given the opportunity to pursue interests, interact with their community, share experiences, and continue their independence. The building functions are distributed along a clerestory-lined main axis for easy wayfinding while a second axis directs visitors to outdoor gardens, to trails through the surrounding forest, and to 4 Pickle Ball Courts providing a true escape for participants. A central reception area located at the junction of the two axes welcomes guests into the light-filled hall providing orientation to all activities. The facility reflects the ideals expressed through a series of community workshops: access to nature, substantial daylighting, small group social spaces, room flexibility, interior/exterior rooms.

Composed of horizontal and vertical cedar siding, pine overhangs and smooth concrete, the exterior material palette extends into its interior, providing visual wayfinding cues and reinforcing the facility’s main central hub. Contrast between rough texture of the exterior cedar siding and silken finish of pine and cherry animate interior spaces. Sweeping panoramic views through large interior windows and clerestories frame the exterior, providing an abundance of natural light into its volume while connecting guests to the surrounding forest - a retreat amidst a busy city.

Meeting the vision of the community and its stakeholders is key to this project’s success. As one member of our community stated so aptly, “It isn’t just a senior center…it is a living center…I have much more living to do.”