Pemmican Lodge
Senior living|Green acres foundation
2000 | Lethbridge, Alberta
The Pemmican Lodge is a senior citizens housing project designed for the Green Acres Foundation. This client provided input from years of experience in assisted living projects. The functional design was realized in close communication with owner representatives, particularly Dawn Coslovi, CAO.
The Pemmican Lodge was built on the site of the pre-existing lodge, overlooking the beautiful Oldman River Valley. An early site analysis identified a long narrow strip of land on the coulee brow, allowing the extension of a wing which capitalizes on the excellent views in each direction of the river valley. The project was designed with historic flavour emulating a former hospital, existing on the site in the early 1900’s. Adjacent to the site is the Galt Museum, which is a renovation of a later replacement hospital. The historic building and associated mature landscaping adds to the ambiance of the site and creates a wonderful context which embraces the new design.
The facility contains a central amenity core complete with a large dining facility on the 3rd floor, affording excellent views of the river valley to the southwest. Placing the dining room on the 3rd floor was an innovative solution, allowing for a large clear-spanned space created economically by utilizing conventional roof trusses.