Senior Living / Retirement

The private and semi-private resident rooms are spacious and attractive, and accommodate remembrances of home. Nursing and therapy areas are designed to not interfere, and support services such as kitchen, laundry and mechanical areas are hidden in their own separate level of the building.

Dayrooms with their low partitions across from the nurse's station permit residents to enjoy a cafe atmosphere while being monitored.  Public gathering areas are spacious and welcoming with ample room to accommodate resident activities as well as community events. 

Originally built in the early 70’s, Friendship Retirement Community in northeast Roanoke is Virginia’s largest and most complete retirement community.

Since 1999, FRC has relied on Hughes Associates Architects for planning and design services on a wide range of projects from the visionary and dramatic to the technical.

The Family Square project is a two-story addition that provides a dedicated front entry for residents and their families, which bypasses the lobby/reception and admitting areas with direct access to the resident wings. Lounge and dining areas have also been expanded on both floors.

Our longstanding relationship with FRC has grown because we provide the services needed and attention to value.

The Main Street project was a redesign of the main facility entrance and lobby to create a new “first impression” for the entire community, as well as adding new admitting offices, reception desk, private/family dining and a full service snack bar. Challenges included maintaining uninterrupted operation of essential resident services and communication/data systems, and maintaining a “user friendly” access to the public.

Honored by the American Institute of Architects in “Design for Aging Review”, one of only 44 projects chosen nationwide in 2004.

Centra Health System selected Hughes Associates Architects to help create:

• A sense of place that feels like a home.
• A facility that respects the resident.
• A "world" of dignity celebrating the final chapter of life.
• Environments that reflect a sense of pride and ownership.

We did this by asking, “What would I want?" of ourselves and of the staff, family members and residents in existing nursing homes. The discussions and answers inspired us to:

• Create residential communities as well as shared “township” areas.
• Create residential room “communities” and creating many options for activity
• Provide social spaces, activity pods, eating environments, etc., a feeling of being at home.
• Create spaces to encourage residents’ family members to come in to be with their loved ones.

Unique features of The Summit include:

• Four Communities house 20 residents each.
• Community Centers are each like a street cafe, with a view to the center courtyard.
• Dining is more akin to a restaurant experience then an institutional one.
• Conversation is the goal of places like the hair salon, akin to Floyd’s Barber Shop in Mayberry.
• Activity Areas function as social areas for the neighboring community as well.
• Verandas offer a chance to see and be seen.
• The Courtyard offers comfortable seating and pathways plus elevated mini-gardens for resident use.