An oasis in the Sonoran Desert in Phoenix, Arizona, the Sagewood resort-style continuing care retirement community (CCRC) has recently completed the second phase of its renovation and expansion with phase one having wrapped up in 2018.
The phase one design had originally added a two story, assisted living addition, as well as a new fitness center, chapel, activity room, dining room, courtyard, salon and two separate living spaces for residents. The first stage of the project also included a 20,700-square-foot event space with a lobby that acts as a pre-function area before events, as well as a lecture hall. Upon its completion, Sagewood was 97 percent occupied, leaving plenty of space for additional growth with the primary desire being for more hospitality-like venues.
Phase two brings in a new, four-story 276,454-square foot independent living community featuring one- and two-bedroom units with den layouts and scenic patio views. Phase two also introduces new amenity spaces in the form of activity and game rooms, an art studio, putting green, formal dining, an indoor-outdoor tapas bar and lounge and café.
Retranslating the Outdoors into Relaxing, Indoor Spaces
The design for the community’s three new restaurants was inspired by Sagewood’s surrounding landscape, which helped weave together the unique dining destinations. Part of the existing Palo Verde dining room and adjacent administrative area became The Sonoran, offering fine dining. The Canyon Café’s renovation allowed for a full kitchen to be added, allowing the café to be open all day by transitioning from morning coffee to evening nightcaps. The Owl’s Nest is a tapas bar that perches on the fourth floor overlooking the McDowell Mountains.
Throughout the spaces, industrial style melds with local influence and wild, natural elements, like the enriched materials, textures and colors that mingle with faux and dried plants in the Canyon Café. In the Sonoran restaurant a custom wallcovering inspired by the rare desert super bloom sits beneath a ceiling of rock formations. Here, the bright floral elements balance the strong architectural features within the main dining venue.
At the Owl’s Nest (named for the design of it being an abstracted owl’s nest), the wooden beams and decorative screens radiating outward create a dynamic effect that also helps control acoustics. Floor-to-ceiling windows and industrial accordion-style doors showcase the sweeping desert landscape while residents sit down for a nice night-cap or settle in for a game of shuffleboard.
Another version of this article previously appeared in Environments for Aging.
