SKILLED NURSING / POST-ACUTE CARE RENOVATION / REPOSITIONING
Western Reserve Masonic Community
The Western Reserve Masonic Community (WRMC) in Medina Ohio was established by The Ohio Masonic Communities (OMC) to empower residents to lead fulfilled, healthy, and meaningful lives. Spanning seven interconnected buildings and villas on 229 acres, the campus delivers a full continuum of care—independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing—tailored to each resident’s needs.
The newly completed addition has transformed the environment from one that was entirely institutional to one focused on hospitality and resident-centered amenities. The two 18-bed long-term care households, sharing an enclosed courtyard, now offer a more intimate residential atmosphere, each with their own entries, living areas, dining rooms, and kitchens. The 14-bed short-term care wing offers a hospitality-driven atmosphere, directly adjacent to a state-of-the-art rehab gym for both in-patient and out-patient use as well as a full-service café with expansive outdoor views. The redesign not only aligns with OMC’s mission and values, but has resulted in increased occupancy, short-term rehab referrals, and overall revenues, ensuring long-term viability for the campus.
Exterior Entry Before | After
Lobby Before | After
Original Design and Operational Challenges
Constructed in 1995 and acquired by OMC in 2001, the original layout prioritized efficiency over resident convenience, with centralized dining and activity spaces located at one end of the campus directly beneath the skilled nursing and assisted living wings. While intended to streamline both staffing and food service operations, this arrangement resulted in the following deficiencies in the care environment:
- Frail residents had to navigate stairs or elevators with staff assistance to access both the outdoors and physical therapy.
- Residential floors featured long, double-loaded corridors with minimal common space.
- Some resident rooms were left isolated after an unrealized second-phase expansion that was intended to further increase efficiency.
- And most importantly, the layout fell short of OMC’s mission to provide a high-quality, residential environment that reflected the exceptional care they deliver.
The temperate California climate also encourages an indoor/outdoor lifestyle, inspiring our members to enjoy
outdoor dining and lounging next to the fireplace in our courtyard.
Dining Before | After
OMC’s approach to skilled and long-term care is centered on residents’ dignity, independence, privacy, and freedom of choice. To align the campus with this mission, OMC engaged RDL Architects to develop a comprehensive masterplan, exploring both renovation and new construction scenarios. Together they assessed resident desires, staff workflows, and spatial adjacencies, resulting in strategic additions and decentralization of amenities. After much evaluation, it became clear that for the skilled nursing environment the extent of the renovations necessary to achieve the desired outcome was prohibitively high and new construction offered the best long-term value. Unfortunately, achieving this replacement was problematic as the ideal location was its current location. In order to maintain uninterrupted care, the project was executed in two phases.
Designed to offer each member an elevated and engaged life, including the Elegant Palmer Library and Lobby.
Residence Before | After
Phase One
- Gradually reduce census in the old skilled nursing building.
- Partially demolish and construct one 18-bed “household”, a 14-bed short-term rehab household, and a new entrance composed of a new physical therapy gym and café.
- Transition residents into the new household
Phase Two
- Complete demolition of the remaining older structure.
- Build an additional 18-bed household in its place, adjacent to the initial 18-bed household.