Perkins Eastman has signed on as a recent recent resource partner with UniversityRetirementCommunities.com.
The website is meant to provide a one-stop directory of information for retirees interested in senior living communities that are associated with higher education institutions — what founder Andrew Carle calls university retirement communities, or URCs — as well as for senior living companies and universities interested in developing URCs.
The architectural firm said that the new partnership reflects its experience in both senior living and university campus design.
“We’ve been an advocate of solutions focused on longevity and lifelong learning for more than 20 years,” Perkins Eastman Associate Principal Drew Roskos told the McKnight’s Business Daily. “As partners with URC, we’re trying to support their structure and resources for this type of housing strategy, because there has not been structure around how to define it and how to do it until now.”
The website, which launched in September, was the brainchild of Carle, a former senior living executive and lead instructor for the graduate concentration in senior living administration at Georgetown University. So far, according to Carle, 85 communities have partnered with the website to provide information, and others are interested in being added to the site.
“Like URC, Perkins Eastman wants to continue our legacy of being at the forefront and acting as a resource for unique housing options for active, independent people,” Roskos said. “Perkins Eastman is in a unique position of having both senior living provider clients and higher education clients, and we can actively promote and educate others about this option.”
Carle said that Perkins Eastman is the fourth resource center to partner with the website since it launched. Others include Carle Consulting LLC, LCS Development and Love & Company.
The architectural firm is “just a great fit because they’ve done a ton of work in both senior living and universities… So I thought they were a great fit,” he added.
“We see URCs as a solution whose time has come as many institutions look at growth strategies for their campuses and active adult residents look for vibrant lifestyle solutions (often in more urban areas). It seems that living on the edge of their favorite alma mater with the opportunity to engage in campus activities may be a good fit for some,” Roskos said.
Certification program in the works
A voluntary certification program is in the works for the website. Carle, who previously was senior consultant-health intelligence for JD Power and Associates in creating its national senior living community-related program, is writing requirements for certification now for URC certification and said the program should be up and running within a few months.
“And of course, that will really be helpful to retirees and to the whole sector, because it will show them what they need to be doing,” he said.
Carle was recognized last month as a 2024 McKnight’s Pinnacle Awards winner for his work as an industry ally.
