Memory-Care Courtyard Retrofit with Tree and Fire-Lane Constraints
A 26-bed memory-care facility asks you to convert a 420 m² rectangular courtyard into a secure garden. The only resident door is at the north-west corner; room windows overlook the courtyard. Constraints: a 70-year-old sugar maple stands 4 m from the west wall, a 2.5 m-wide emergency access lane along the south edge must remain clear, and the door has a 150 mm step. The operator wants a central lawn, a water feature, raised beds, and a continuous loop path. Budget is $120,000. Code requires an accessible route from the door to every program element, with maximum 5% running slope and 2% cross slope. The fire official requires 1.2 m clearance around the building and an unobstructed lane. Staff report residents wander at dusk and sometimes enter planting beds. The client also wants the maple kept.
1. Draft a priority program for the courtyard and explain the three moves you would make first, including how each responds to the stated constraints.
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Priority program: secure entry threshold; one continuous loop; a central visible activity node; raised beds along edges; service lane kept clear. First three moves: (1) Replace the 150 mm step with a flush landing and a 1:12 ramp or lift within the building envelope, because every route depends on it and the 5% running / 2% cross slopes must start at the door. (2) Put the loop on the east and north sides, outside the arborist-approved maple protection zone, and keep the south lane free; use a 1.5 m path where space allows and a 1.2 m path with 1.2 m passing bays at the pinch. (3) Place the lawn and water feature where staff can see them from the door and windows, not in a dead corner; keep raised beds at 600 mm working height along the north wall. This gives a legible loop, avoids the root zone and fire lane, and supports observation. Do not place the water feature on the accessible route; provide seating every 15-20 m and shade at the central node.
2. The continuous loop cannot fit between the maple protection zone and the 2.5 m emergency lane unless the path narrows. How do you resolve this, and what would you refuse to compromise?
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Measure the pinch: 1.2 m building clearance + 2.5 m lane + 1.5 m path + tree protection zone may exceed the available width. Resolve it by shifting the loop inward on the east, not through the root zone. At the south pinch, use a 1.2 m path with 1.2 m passing bays at both ends, and a no-dig permeable deck over roots only if the arborist allows. Keep the 2.5 m lane unobstructed and the 1.2 m building clearance. Refuse to cut roots inside the protection zone, narrow the emergency lane, or route the only accessible path over a step. If the pinch is below 1.2 m clear, eliminate the south leg and make a T-loop with a viewing spur; a continuous loop is desirable but not at the cost of code access or tree survival. Document dimensions on the plan and have the arborist approve any encroachment.
3. Identify two design details that reduce wandering and bed entry, and explain why they work.
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Use a simple loop with no dead ends and a single visible return to the door; residents with memory loss tend to follow continuous paths, and dead ends can cause agitation. Add a 450-600 mm raised-bed edge with a smooth seat-height coping so the bed reads as a barrier but also supports gardening; avoid low groundcover that invites stepping. Increase path-to-bed contrast and light the loop at dusk to reduce disorientation. Place a shaded rest node with familiar seating every 15 m, and keep staff sightlines from the door over most of the loop. A concealed door alarm can support supervision, but the garden should not rely on locks alone. These details reduce unsupervised bed entry and wandering without making the garden feel like a cage.