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With the opening this month of the new $80-million Walnut Village retirement project in Anaheim, residents will not only have a place to call home, they will have a small, private town that’s full of amenities.
With the opening this month of the new
$80-million Walnut Village retirement project
in Anaheim, residents will not only have
a place to call home, they will have a small,
private town that’s full of amenities. “This place really feels like a village,” says
Chris Ebert, project representative with
Portland-based Ankrom Moisan Associated
Architects, the project’s designers. “I think
residents will think they are in a community
and not necessarily a group of buildings.”
Owned and managed by Burbank-based
Front Porch Communities and Services,
Walnut Village broke ground in May 2008. It
consists of seven buildings, with 172 private
residences and cottages, ranging in size from
700 sq ft to 2,020 sq ft. The units are surrounded
by a village of three courtyards, a
174-space (90,000-sq-ft) underground parking
garage, various restaurants and shops,
and entertainment and well-being facilities.
Ebert says colors were carefully used to
create unique Southern California-inspired
living spaces.
“Part of the concept the owners had for
the design was that they wanted all of the
various units to be as different from each
other as they could be,” he says. “So we used
exterior accent colors such as reds, yellows,
greens to try and give individuality to the
various units.”
The eight-acre project site was designed
around three separate and distinct village centers or courtyards: the Main Village, Village
Gardens and Village Park.
“The main focus of the architectural content
is the courtyards and the way they help
to build a community for the campus,” says
Ebert. “They organize the buildings and give
the project a more village-like feel.”
The large Village Center is the community
central plaza surrounded by common amenities
that include a gourmet restaurant called The Grove; Mosaics California bistro; the Red
Chair Pub; The Strand beauty and barber
shop; a library; a bridge room for games or
reading; sundries shop; an art gallery; and
full-service housekeeping.
The area also features the Wellbeing and Aquatics Center; a performance art center
with classrooms; the Lifelong Learning Center
with fi tness room; and a memory support
neighborhood with a fully licensed skilled
nursing center.
The Village Gardens, located in the north
courtyard, is meant to serve as a quiet, sensory
garden with a koi pond and gazebo for quiet meditation. Village Park is designed to
be the most natural outdoor space with lawns,
shade trees, walking paths and gardens.
The design of Walnut Village succeeded
in its goals so well that the project received
top honors at the 2009 National Association of Home Builders 50+ Housing Council held
during the Building for Boomers and Beyond
Symposium in April in Philadelphia. The annual
event recognizes excellence and innovation
in the design, development and marketing
of housing for the mature market.
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