Rising out of the Norfolk, Virginia skyline sits a new high rise designed for the Harbor’s Edge life plan community that raises the bar for urban senior living design. 

The project, Harbor’s Edge River Tower, was conceptualized by developer and Harbor’s Edge CEO Neil Volder and meant as an expansion for the luxury life plan community.

With design elements that link the community’s existing tower its new expansion, the addition of a luxury, 527,770 square-foot, $136 million tower at the life plan community is meant to feel “more progressive in its aesthetic,” according to Rocky Berg, principal at senior living architecture and design firm Three.

“We went through many variations, and it became this really incredible project that needed to be two towers and one community,” Berg told Senior Housing News.

The addition of the tower brought 147 new units in the 24-story tower that also connects at the third-floor with the existing building. It also added 100,000 square feet of new and updated common areas, including three restaurants, a lobby bar, a well-appointed media room, and a professional golf simulator.​

The community’s design nabbed it the top spot in 2022 Senior Housing News Architecture & Design Awards’ “Best CCRC/Life Plan Community” category.

The Concept

Planning for the project started in earnest in 2017. The initial goal was to find a way to better connect the existing campus to the new addition through design. The community also was meant to mesh with the surrounding area as opposed to standing alone on an “island.”

To achieve that goal, the project’s designers came up with a concept that first would match both in terms of aesthetics. The project planners arrived at the idea that the community’s existing building should match the new design and decor, both in style and quality.

Project partners drew up a plan that would renovate the common areas of the community’s existing building and Harbor Tower units.

They landed on a design that evokes images of the tall ships that used to dock in Norfolk harbor. The community has a modern facade with glass that stretches out like a ship’s sail atop a base lined with brick. ”

“The sweeping art of the glass, the linear smoothness of the sails, if you will, was part of our inspiration,” Berg said.

The interior of the building was designed to include a two-story lobby with a grand staircase that leads to a breezeway. The community’s third floor was also designed with common space connecting the residential tower to amenities including an assembly hall, bar and multiple venues for dining. 

“It was a complex solution when you think about having to manage the whole process, not just the design attributes, but the whole process with an existing community with high expectations for their residents,” Berg said.

The new tower wasn’t designed only to compete with other senior living communities in the area, but also with nearby multifamily developments, Berg added. He noted that the project’s design team considered higher ceilings than is typical in senior living, with floor-to-ceiling glass, open-unit floor plans and upscale bathrooms with an emphasis on technology.

“We were very cognizant of the overall market when we were thinking about the aesthetics and also the amenities of the building itself,” Berg said. “We had to be progressive.” 

The River Tower expansion was designed during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and like other projects during that time, it saw many redesigns as new needs surfaced. For example, designers redesigning the community’s kitchen to focus on safely serving food in multiple locations, something that became “integral” to the community’s design with Covid.

“It’s a very hospitality-centric design and that’s what [Harbor’s Edge] was looking for,” Berg added.

The Construction

Working with local contractor WM Jordan through the pandemic kept construction moving, but labor and supply chain issues created headaches along the way, according to the project planners.

Social mobility and safety were priorities throughout the design and construction process, and construction teams had to be flexible throughout the tough disruptive periods of the pandemic, most notably in the dining area design and resident safety planning. 

One challenge of building an infill, urban senior living community was identifying the different ways outdoor spaces could be included. Project planners added outdoor patios and porches along with vignette gardens and breakout spaces to encourage residents to go outdoors..

Construction teams also had to develop a unique piling and caisson system for the high rise’s riverfront foundation, Berg noted, giving them the ability to to get the foundation for the site in place “quicker, quieter and in an urban setting.” 

Another challenge came after supply chain kinks prevented construction crews from installing elevators, but construction crews ultimately were able to meet project deadlines, Berg said.

As the project neared completion, Berg helped facilitate final touches on the tower with a unique approach: drone video and photography.

That allowed construction and design teams the ability to “tailor the shape of the building” in contrast with the existing brick counterpart.

“Through that we were able to anticipate the views for existing residents and that was important to us to position the building strategically in a way that optimized everything,” Berg added.

The Completion

In the end, the planning resulted in a successful project that ultimately satisfied Harbor’s Edge’s goals.

“We had a lot of input along the way from both residents and staff,” Berg said. “We were very deliberate and thoughtful about this process and we re-checked the big picture as the project evolved.”

Today, the community is now complete and includes multiple, new upscale dining venues, a new bar, multipurpose theater venues, sky-lit lounges and upgraded outdoor deck seating. The separated towers allow for views to downtown Norfolk and west along the harbor and Fort Norfolk.

One of the most important goals of the project was to create two towers, but still unify the sprawling site as one community. New residences feature open floor plans with art walls with multiple furniture layout options. The building’s resemblance of sails on a ship was done intentionally to mirror the historic harbor that is the community’s backdrop.

“Norfolk is known as a working harbor and there’s a history of tall ships coming in with these beautiful, graceful sailing ships that come in,” Berg said.

The addition of the River Tower is both “contemporary yet cozy and welcoming,” according to Hord Coplan Macht Principal Cynthia Shonaiya, who served as one of the judges for the SHN Architecture and Design Awards.

The thoughtful use of sustainable and resilient features such as the river surge management features, LED lighting throughout, and floor to ceiling level glazing contribute to the wellbeing of the residents,” Shonaiya told Senior Housing News.

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