Panama Pacifico’s vitalization through urbanization and sustainable practices along with its astounding views and climate attract people from all over the world. Our objective was to create a large scale, multiple-unit institutional assisted living and memory care facility to understand the wants and needs of the aging population and the sustainable design process practiced internationally.

We laid our building in the center of the given site to follow the existing axis. Our building lies east to west to take advantage of the prevailing winds flowing north and south. Our building is split into two entities, public and private, to provide privacy, security, and sound control. The private section holds the residents’ units to the east where the jungle views lie with the public amenities on the west. We placed the public section to the west because this part of the site sees the most traffic and noise.

Tonico’s square footage of 40,000 allows for 10 memory care residents and 24+ assisted living residents. Amenities include a botanical garden, dining center, library café, fitness center, salon spa, theater, and a variety of classroom spaces for different activities. All spaces are universally designed and are ADA compliant. We provided a blue and coral scheme to contrast the existing greenery surrounding the building.

Keeping in mind LEED ideals, the roof collects rainwater for grey water usage. We provided floor to ceiling windows bringing in natural lighting and open to beautiful views. Window treatments, architectural elements, and vegetation control the sunlight. We selected sustainable, non-toxic materials from around the area that will endure over time and will be most functional for residents and staff.

Our concept focused on providing a smooth transition for the residents while engaging the senses with natural surroundings and the warmth of community to promote comfort, healing, and influence the patients over all well-being.