Benefis Health System, Healthy Aging Center

Benefis Health System’s new Healthy Aging Center was designed to provide inclusive, accessible spaces for people seeking specialists and healthcare services to help them maintain health and independence as they age.

The overall design and site circulation for the center will not only create a convenient patient experience but also provide healing environments that capitalize on indoor-outdoor interactions and landscaped areas surrounding the building. The landscape architects for the project took inspiration from the color palette of the natural environment such as the organic, flowing forms of rivers and hills, as well as the agrarian aesthetic of the Great Falls area.

Chris Muir, landscape architectural lead commented, “The Healthy Aging Center’s exterior design blends into the existing Benefis campus with roof lines that express an agricultural aesthetic, drawing inspiration from early homesteads and family farms in the area. This is also seen in the general building massing and has become the driving concept for the architectural design.”

According to the team, this agrarian theme followed them throughout the design process, which encouraged them to play with elevation, outdoor/indoor utility, and materials such as boulder steps and real-wood siding. What’s more, Chris and his team considered seasonality and how blooming schedules for foliage and flowers would contribute to the atmosphere and overall well-being of the people utilizing the spaces.

The 15,550 sq. ft. center will provide physical therapy and gym spaces, exam rooms, classrooms, provider offices, a staff breakroom, nurse workstations, lab space, and a modern grab-and-go pre-prepared meal area. With multiple spaces that open up to outdoor areas, the design of the facility celebrates wellness through outdoor activity with open-air physical therapy rooms and flexible patio spaces where people can receive physical therapy and practice yoga, medication, and stretching.

Upon entering the center, patients will be greeted with a reception area and grand lobby that features an abundance of natural light and comfortable, flexible furnishings. Tiered accent lighting installations, modern acoustic accents, murals, and artwork bring warmth and interest to the space and are all inspired by the surrounding natural environment of Great Falls, including the Missouri River, its five waterfalls, and wilderness areas. The use of stacked stone and expansive glazing in the main lobby give the building a warm and inviting feel, while still maintaining a clean, modern aesthetic appropriate in a healthcare setting.