Stanley Tippett Hospice, Needham, MA

Firm's role on the project: Bring the benefit of nature to clients and their families.
 

 

To bring the benefit of the naturally calming powers of nature to clients and their families through visual and direct access to nature provided throughout the interior and exterior of the Stanley Tippett hospice. To allow clients that are able, and their families to enjoy direct access to outdoor spaces that include visual interest, color and shade including a variety of spaces for small and large groups.

The Stanley Tippett Hospice Home is located on a very scenic, historic road in Needham, Massachusetts. The site is approximately six acres of peaceful, wooded grounds that abuts the Charles River. Along with maximizing the natural elements of the site, the project focused on further supporting the overall functional operation of the home.

While maintaining the historic character of the existing 10 room home, renovation of each of these spaces was necessary to create interior spaces that have an openness and visual access to the outdoors, to maximize access to nature and control of natural light for staff and patients. The site and home had to continue to support the community, residents, their families and friends, and allow the staff enhanced support spaces to facilitate the efficient and effective provision of care. The team wanted to create a space that integrated the existing landscape architecture and would work for the community gardeners who would maintain these gardens.

Initial meetings with the administration and the staff identified the guiding principles and the design guidelines for the project. This was accomplished by creating an interdisciplinary design team that included the administration, staff, community advocates, resident advocates, contractor, engineers, landscape architects, architects, and the local authorities having jurisdiction in the planning and design process. This process allowed for the definition of the success factors for the project early on and guided the development of options to address them. At each step of the process, the designs were evaluated against the criteria for evaluation (success factors) to assure that all components were aligned and that the related budget and schedule issues that were established at the initiation of the project could still be met. At each step of the process, informed decisions were made and the resulting adjustments were made to avoid the need for “value engineering”. 

Along with the improved driveway, a wider drop off area and multiple gardens, the project also included improved site lighting, a new covered entry, a new kitchen, updated bathrooms, updated room conditioning, an additional nutrition area on the second floor, and an additional handicap bath and shower area. It also included additional support spaces and a larger elevator to ease resident transport. Care was taken to include these features while enhancing the existing architectural character of the home. The 10 private bedrooms and associated support spaces were fully renovated with new flooring, furnishings and finishes.

The design allows visual access from the interior rooms to the multiple gardens. A specific effort was made to design interior spaces that open directly to these gardens and outdoor areas that welcome and support residents, their families and friends. The existing site allowed for the use of shade trees and other existing natural elements of the site to enhance the overall environment of care.