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On the exterior, Cedar Sinai Park Community, a new elderly health center going on Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, will have the look of an institutional building. But its interior will reflect that of a cozy home, according to Eric Cugnart of MulvannyG2 Architecture, the project architect.

鈥淭he idea is to really provide the elderly and the people in need of this type of care to feel like a little family,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s very friendly on the inside, but from the outside it’s still a nice (institutional) building.鈥�

The 105,000-square-foot structure will have four floors, each with 12 single bedrooms. In the middle of each floor, there will be a large living room area that also will contain a kitchen and a dining room. The living room areas will take the place of corridors, creating a home-like feel, Cugnart said. Residents will use the areas for cooking and other activities.

The design strategy is known as a 鈥済reenhouse model,鈥� according to Cugnart, and reportedly has never been used for a nursing facility in Oregon.

The model is based on the idea of using common spaces for small groups of residents to increase the amount of contact they have with each other and to reduce the amount of staff turnover.

鈥淚t’s called a household because it’s trying to be a small community on each floor,鈥� Cugnart said. 鈥淚t’s very residential in this sense, despite the fact they will be receiving treatment.鈥�

Cedar Sinai Park Community will be the latest health center built on Cedar Sinai’s property in Southwest Portland. It eventually will replace another nursing residential facility on the site, which was built in the 1950s.

For all of its interior uniqueness, the building’s exterior was designed to fit in with buildings already on the property, Cugnart said.

Construction is expected to start on the project next year and will take one year to finish. The building was designed to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating.