Senior Living

Generations Crossing

Care Across the Ages

Generations Crossing is an intergenerational day care center: one that provides care and activities for both older adults and for young children, and fosters mutually beneficial interactions.  Centers such as these offer unique opportunities for the enrichment of elders and children alike.  They also, however, have unique constraints, such as the need for spaces that meet very different needs (for children of different ages, for older adults, and for group interaction).

Details

Size: 15,000 s.f.

Cost: $1.7 million

Location:
3765 Taylor Spring Lane 
Harrisonburg, VA

Completion: 2008

Project Type: Senior Living/Child Care

The new entrance to Harrisonburg City Hall, Harrisonburg, VA, at dusk.
An aerial view of Harrisonburg City Hall, Harrisonburg, VA, where you can see all construction, old and new.
A hand drawn look at the architectural hyphen of the new Harrisonburg City Hall, Harrisonburg, VA. This is the glass atrium area that connects the old building to the new building.

Project Info

Mather and Daly Architects was excited to take on the challenge of creating one facility that could meet so many needs and serve so many functions.  We knew, for example, that the area dedicated to the older adults needed to be significantly different from the other areas.  We created a large common room devoted to the older adults that allowed for multiple activities to take place at once without distracting from each other, including space for quiet time alone.

The areas dedicated to child care were each customized to the needs of the specific age group.  The adult and child areas are separate enough that the adults can pursue their own activities without being distracted by noise from the child care rooms – but connected by a large common area where elders and children can meet for shared activities.

Another view of the new entrance to the new Harrisonburg City Hall, Harrisonburg, VA.
Looking up at the atrium windows in the new Harrisonburg City Hall, Harrisonburg, VA.

The result is an integrated facility that serves the needs of each independent group but also fosters their interactions.  The generations regularly meet for games, crafts, sing-alongs, and just to chat and get to know each other.

And the wait list for both the adult care and child care programs is one of the longest in town – a testament to the success of intergenerational care provided in a purpose-built facility.

 

Let's Build Something

Get in touch to discuss or inquire about your next project. To email us, fill in the form to the right or use the address found on the contact page. We look forward to hearing your ideas and coming up with an innovative architectural design to meet your challenges.