The Residence in Mission

Located in the city of Mission in the lower mainland of British Columbia, the Residence in Mission, is a new complex continuing care centre. The facility is part of a 130,000-square-foot (12,000-square-meter) campus of care for seniors that includes 200 residential beds for people with complex health-care needs, a day program for older adults, and a community health centre. The project’s plan gives a nod to the traditional Haida sun crest form. The slender and semicircular part of the complex houses the main living areas, while arms containing bedroom areas radiate out from it. Surrounding the facility are landscaped courtyards containing walking paths and sitting areas. All living areas receive daylight on two sides, from both the central courtyard and the secondary courtyards between the bedroom wings.

The courtyard facade is clad with a range of panels that gradually transition from a warm color range on one side of the building to a cooler range on the other side. The colors were inspired by the circadian rhythms and natural colors of the forest that are cooler in the morning and warmer later in the day.

Many complex care facilities for seniors are mind numbing in their repetitive design, insipid colors, long, straight corridors, and deep floor plans, with few or no opportunities to connect to the outside and the changing light and weather conditions though the days and seasons. We have already seen that lack of sensory stimulation intensifies brain atrophy, unlike the stimulation the brain receives in enriched environments, which support improved cognitive reserve by enhancing synaptic health and encouraging the development of new neurons. The gently curved corridors and public areas of the Residence in Mission, however, offer variety and vitality, stimulating the mind with ever-changing visual and spatial prospects as residents and employees move through them. The views of the many different garden courtyards support a narrative and perspective in which our connection to nature generates a sense of strength and acceptance about the progression of life.