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New Palm Springs Retirement Home for LGBT Community
Photo by ganymede_8 via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Palm Springs is about to get even more fabulous. As part of a project called BOOM, ten architectural design firms are developing a retirement community in Rancho Mirage that will be focused on creating stylish, high design buildings that are geared towards gay retirees. The goal of the project -- which is budgeted at around $250 million -- is to create a home for older residents that still encourages them to be socially active and contributing members of the neighboring communities, partly through vibrant, artistic architectural design.
Co.Design reports that:
BOOM is a chance to design a contemporary retirement community from the ground up, one that ignores those stereotypical architectural motions...a ramp here, a wide doorway there -- that reinforces the feeling of being a second-class citizen.
Each firm will be encouraged to lend their own style to the buildings, which will ultimately hold 300 residencies.
The homes are open to all retirees, not just members of the LGBT community, but designers believe that catering to senior members of the gay community is important. According to architect architect Matthias Hollwich, who will be working on the project:
"In the gay community, many people go back into the closet after they go into assisted living facilities."
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