At the beginning of the year, common spaces would have been viewed with a more-the-merrier mindset, but in the post pandemic world, they raise eyebrows. Still for both the developer and designer, they are essential to the project. "The average age of residents in these buildings is the mid-80s. By that point, the average resident needs help with at least two daily activities, which could include grooming, bathing, eating and taking their medications," says Kianmahd. "You have to have areas where you can do this; you have to have med-tech rooms, hair salons, provide hospitality services, like meals and laundry. The point it to take the day-to-day burden off of their hands so that they can enjoy their lives." In fact, Panorama's senior living community, 50% of the total square footage is utilized as common area space. By comparison, only 15% of total square footage is allocated to common space in a standard apartment building.

In addition to being a necessity in terms of daily activities, they can also be a crucial element of the health and well being of residents. "There are countless studies about social isolation being a threat to physical and mental health," says Seager. "85-year-olds need help with services, but many of them are also along and they need social interaction. We try to lure them out of their rooms to create areas where they want to get out and see people. It is good for their overall wellness."

However, designers are reevaluating the structure of common areas spaces as a way to provide these crucial services and protect residents. "You want to create as much community as possible, but today we are trying to keep people separate to limit the virus spread," says Seager. One way to do that is to break a bigger building up into smaller neighborhoods. That way, you have a smaller group of people that you can live with or be with, and if a future pandemic hits, you are already sequestered into your family unit."

Panorama's Beverly Hills project is a prefect example of how this same philosophy can be utilized in a smaller project to accomplish the same goals. "In an urban infill site with a smaller footprint, each floor can become its own family unit if you put some common space on each floor," says Seager. "If the virus hits someone on the third floor, the people on other floors won't be affected. The size of the site forced us to do that on this one, but I think it is a good practice that you will start seeing more and more."

Located at 825-837 Holt Avenue, the property will begin construction early next year, and is planned for delivery in late 2022.