Immanuel Lakeside Omaha is a retirement living facility that offers independent living, assisted living, and memory support on a picturesque campus in Omaha, Nebraska.

The campus is undergoing renovations to upgrade and add outdoor amenities for its residents.

Olsson Studio provided conceptual design and construction administration for this three-phased project. Phase I included adding a memory garden with a water feature, artwork, plantings, and seating areas and renovating a pond to improve functionality and enhance aesthetics. Phase II included a party patio with an outdoor dining and social area, different types of seating, fire feature, shade structure, lighting, and bocce ball court. Phase III will include raised planters for residents to garden.

We conducted community engagement with residents to guide the decision-making for the types of amenities to include. The first phase was completed during spring 2020, so engagement was virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the patio amenities, we engaged with residents for chair testing to make sure the appropriate seating was selected. Our designers and planners have a thorough understanding of mobility concerns and successfully navigated design of an outdoor environment for the senior community. The outdoor campus is completely accessible.

Sustainability is another unique project aspect. Native plantings are very important to our client. The plant selection for this property is being used as a prototype for native gardens being planted at the client’s other facilities.