A vacant restaurant, called the Manor House, had become a source of financial strain and energy overuse for operations as a make-shift space for residents. Occupying the entire site, the now demolished Manor House was such a dominant feature upon entry to the neighborhood that it blocked all views to the community ponds and offered no space for outdoor activities.  For a 54-acre senior living campus, complete with unique level 1 certified Arboretum and focused commitment to open outdoor spaces for its residents, there was a desire for some dramatic change on this site.

The community building brought about a profound renewal, as it allows the outdoor plaza and ponds to take center stage.  The irony of its adopted name is that the building is not a dominant ‘manor’, but in fact a building that only serves to openly support a fluid connection to the exterior.  From the initial diagram to completed project, the building acts as an edge to the site, cradling space for pickleball, putting green, outdoor movies, fire pit, event plaza, shade structure, and casual small group gatherings.

A geothermal system with underground circulating fluid loop, makes use of the constant temperature of the earth underneath the open plaza, in order to heat and cool the building.  A solar array of fifty five panels along the South side of the building roof was designed to generate all of the energy required for operations.  Residents supported the green initiative with donations, commemorated along the entry sidewalk with a series of engraved pavers.