MEP Engineering Design Considerations for Senior Living Houses  

Currently, the aging population is increasing rapidly across the world due to longer life expectancies, leading to a huge demand for senior living houses. According to statistics, thousands of senior citizens leave their families and homes every year to join one of the 21000 senior living houses across the country. With over 20% of the population in the USA expected to be 65 or older by 2050 according to Statistics, the demand for elderly houses will continue to increase. 

Unfortunately, some developers assume that the design for senior living facilities is the same as any other multifamily building, only that it’s age-restricted. However, the design of these facilities requires specific knowledge to address the unique requirements of the facility’s owners and occupants. In this post, we’ll be looking at the important factors you need to consider when creating an MEP engineering design for senior living houses! 

Unique MEP Engineering Design Considerations for Memory Care, Nursing Care & Assisted Living Facilities

These facilities offer specialized care to senior citizens that need memory care, skilled nursing, and assisted living. For that, they require specific Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing systems to aid deliver this care. To accomplish this, an MEP engineer will take design ideas from the operator and architect, while considering the facility’s functionality. More importantly, the MEP designer/ engineer will ensure that the MEP design for senior living houses facility meets all the relevant building codes as well as state health department requirements. 

On the downside, these restrictions and considerations may present a challenge for the facility’s MEP engineering design. As an example, elderly living houses usually contain centralized plumbing systems to promote more efficient maintenance. On the other hand, their mechanical systems often consist of water source heat pumps, VRF systems, or centralized chillers/ boilers to increase their energy efficiency and give the occupants a higher level of individual control. Lastly, electrical systems include some form of backup power to meet NEC requirements for critical electrical systems. In addition, this allows the operator to run the senior living facility during natural disasters or power outages, hence eliminating the need for relocating the occupants. 

MEP System Design for Senior Living Facilities 

The complexity of an MEP system design for a senior living facility is usually determined by the services and amenities offered in the building. If the facility is mixed-use, it may include retail areas, hospital-level care, commercial office space, and restaurants. Since each of these spaces has a different need, the MEP engineering design must be well-thought to meet the multiple uses and goals of the building. 

Moreover, like any other facility, MEP systems require regular maintenance to function flawlessly at all times. This should be done with minimal or no disruption to the tenants occupying the facility. However, this can be challenging for senior living facilities since their MEP engineering design should maintain a certain level of access control for those entering or residing within the facility. All in all, it’s possible to balance the individual needs of the tenants with the ease of maintenance with proper MEP systems and space planning in place. 

MEP System Design for Independent senior living houses 

Although an independent living project is a type of senior living project, it closely resembles a traditional multifamily design. However, it’s usually designed as an age-restricted apartment building. Therefore, its design follows the codes and rules of an apartment building, but it has some unique MEP engineering design considerations. Some of the aspects you need to consider when creating an MEP engineering design for independent living projects include; 

• The mechanical systems, including VRF systems, water-based heat pumps with cooling towers and standard DX split systems, can vary greatly based on the long-term goals of the operator and developer. 
• Hot water systems usually feature a centralized boiler system as opposed to installing individual water heaters in every unit. This enables the operator of the Independent living project to service and manage the hot water system more cost-effectively and quickly. 
• Electrical systems in IL projects also tend to vary greatly. For instance, a project in a hurricane-prone area may need a backup generator to meet the occupants’ needs. In addition, most IL facilities typically use single-metered electrical services, unlike multi-metered apartments. Although this will depend on the utility and local jurisdictions for approval, a single-metered system is feasible when you don’t need to track individual electric consumption. 

Contact InnoDez for the MEP engineering design of your Senior Living Project in California! 

It is important to hire an experienced MEP firm in your design team for a senior living facility project. This MEP engineer will guide your design team to ensure you get a smooth-operating facility that will meet the needs of both the residents and the owner. Contact InnoDez Design & Engineering today to be your MEP Engineering Designer for your Senior living project in California!