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Maximizing ROI for Commercial Clients —
When Design makes Cents!
 Tobin+Parnes Design Enterprises (TPDE) has developed a comprehensive and proven “Master Plan” strategy to help real estate developers and building owners attract tenants in New York City’s increasingly competitive commercial marketplace.
Many building owners and leasing agents are using clever strategies to lure tenants such as offering compelling incentives, including complimentary space planning, feasibility studies, generous work letters, construction build-outs and interior design consultations. As a result, the services of design/architectural firms are increasingly valued in response to their clients’ demands in this challenging landscape.
“Building owners call on us because TPDE has successfully provided design and master planning services for a wide range of projects. We pride ourselves on our expertise in solving complex problems and capturing the maximum development potential of each project beyond obvious limitations. Since its inception, TPDE has successfully completed many commercial projects,” said Andrea Dibner, principal, TPDE. “We understand the tenant’s perspective and bring many years of experience, enabling us to guide our clients through this complex process. Ultimately, we know how to make these projects successful by leveraging financial and design/construction strategies to maximize the return on investment.”
A few of TPDE’s strategies include:
- Analyzing the current state of the building’s envelope/exterior attractiveness such as its visibility, cleanliness—in short, the overall appealing qualities are carefully reviewed. Existing building characteristics and ornamentation can be highlighted, exterior lighting added, canopies or awnings introduced; banners displayed, and other creative, cost effective strategies to heighten the building’s visual impact and appeal.
- Reviewing the assets and limitations of the building’s entry and lobby experience and developing a ROI-driven “Master Plan” to positively elevate the atmosphere and ambiance.
- TPDE uses a strategic set of tools and techniques—developed over 26 years of commercial development experience—to analyze the architectural, structural, mechanical, electric, plumbing, life safety, security and energy consumption of the property.
- TPDE also reviews the green technology and energy efficient options that attract tenants and works with building owners to incorporate strategies that help save money. Sustainability is socially responsible; it represents 21st century cutting-edge design and has become perhaps a very important marketing tool.
After implementing each step of the evaluation process, TPDE then develops a comprehensive plan of cost effective upgrades. A phased or tiered approach is developed; where priorities/goals are set and work is implemented in phases.
With its vast commercial experience, TPDE understands the myriad complexities of a project and also identifies where potential compromises may be required to maintain baseline costs and ensure the project’s successful completion.
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Touching the Spirits of Our Elders
Q&A with Sylvia Williams, RN, MA
Vice President for Patient Care Services,
Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation
TPDE is proud of its association with Parker Jewish Institute (PJI). From our work on the lobby renovation, administrative offices consolidation, new dialysis department interiors or as a master planning consultant, we have been privileged to support their mission of providing caring and compassionate healthcare in a culturally enriched environment. We have the greatest respect for PJI’s dedication to the well being of their residents and for their efforts to apply leading edge design solutions with the goal of improving the lives of others.
Q&A with Sylvia Williams, RN, MA
Vice President for Patient Care Services,
Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation
Q1. From an architectural and design perspective, do you agree that forward thinking nursing homes are shifting away from traditional institutional models and moving toward environments that are less alienating, warmer, more home-like, as well as more holistic and healing?
A1. I think that we’re dealing with a completely different aging population. Now, rather than spend their last years in institutional settings, most people want to remain in their homes or in places that capture the essence of a “home-like” environment. One word comes to mind and it’s “choice.” Choice gives the aging population more flexibility and an opportunity for independent decision- making when it comes to where they should spend the last years of their lives.
Yes, I agree that most of today’s nursing homes are modeled like institutions; some use soft colors to try and offset the medical-oriented environment and make the ambiance softer, but the overall feel is still institutional and not home-like.
People who come to nursing homes need private rooms and for architects and interior designers, this requires a lot more flexibility regarding spatial reconfiguration and/or building from the ground-up. Additionally, the spaces inside a nursing home need to be more open, as if the layout were intentionally configured to bring the outside in.
At Parker Jewish, we believe that one of the most important elements for people to be happy is to help them remain connected to family, friends and to other residents. Many of the individuals living at Parker Jewish are single and don’t have family members who can visit them and therefore, they rely upon friends.
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Q2. Is it important to create a more “home-like” environment in nursing homes—living spaces that incorporate elements such as family areas, private bedrooms, pantries, laundry areas, porches, patios, etc.? Why?
A2. Yes, it’s very important because it allows people to be more independent in their daily lives and/or to direct their caregivers in assisting them with daily tasks so they feel that they are in charge of supervising their lives.
All of these elements—family rooms, private bedrooms, laundry areas, etc.—simulate a more home-like living environment where, once again, choice is central to an individual’s well being.
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Q3. How can a more healing-centered and sensitive living facility for the aging enhance resident medical care and recovery?
A3. We shouldn’t think of building or designing nursing homes with the thought of providing medical care, rather, they should be designed as environments for home-like living.
The medical conditions of our residents are already stabilized and/or they are on a therapeutic regimen, therefore, the focus shouldn’t be on medical-centered living environments, but rather, environments that are more warm, pleasing and less institutional.
At Parker Jewish, we believe that there should be boundaries between the home-like living environments and the areas where people receive medical care. This layout is optimal for ensuring the best outcomes, both medically and psychologically.
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Q4. How can a more healing centered home-like environment in a facility for the aging along with the highest quality of medical care, impact the following:
a. Patient and family stress
b. Healthcare outcomes
A4. Choice continues to be important because, from a medical standpoint, this can influence how you approach patients on an individual basis. For example, we don’t always want to be as aggressive therapeutically with an older person as with a younger person. If an individual can discuss his/her particular medical situation with family and/or friends, and the choices that are available, this can relieve a lot of stress.
Ensuring that an individual’s needs and concerns are being acknowledged and addressed on a daily basis also helps to relieve their stress levels and it helps to promote more positive health outcomes.
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Q5. How can residents that are aging in a place continue to grow and be part of life? What are the key elements that support this?
A5. The challenges in terms of architecture and design are to create places that are flexible, allow choice and imbue a sense of home, as I’ve mentioned before. If you create a family room that can easily be converted into a comfortable home theater-type setting for “movie night,” this is an example of flexible spatial design. We realize that existing nursing homes and medical institutions don’t always have the resources to create a home-like setting, so our recommendation is to provide choices—an array of opportunities that help residents to thrive and connect with others within an environment where they feel comfortable and cared for.
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Q6. For nursing home patients, do you believe there is a relationship between environmental satisfaction, the physical environment and functioning outcomes?
A6. Yes, we believe there is a very strong relationship between creating environments that are more pleasing, more home-like and give residents a sense of independence and personal choice in managing their daily lives. This positive environment and the related positive mind frame can certainly produce better outcomes.
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Q7. Do you believe that experts today—such as architects, interior designers and medical practitioners who care for the aging—use evidence-based design when redesigning and/or creating new nursing homes aimed to ensure the highest quality of care?
A7. Yes, we see this trend evolving and it’s exciting. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would create institutional-style nursing homes now. While progress has been made in terms of creating more home-like environments for the aging, we still have a long way to go.
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Q8. Do you view Parker Jewish as a pioneer in shifting away from institutional nursing home models and toward more health and holistic-centered environments?
A8. Yes, we like to think of ourselves as pioneers as we are continuously discovering and implementing new approaches to caring for our residents that ultimately gives them a greater sense of choice and independence. Also, we’re fortunate in that we have so many caring and bright people working here, and at all levels. Parker Jewish is a very exciting and inspiring place to work. In terms of moving away from institutional models—we’ve come a long way and our shift was deliberate. We immediately see the difference that a warm, inviting home-like environment has on our residents and our staff. Also, we are part of several important organizations concerned with advancing and updating care for the elderly. Additionally, our staff is very innovative and open to trying new approaches.
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