Introducing Groth Design Group Architects
The site plan for our Autumn Hills Village community and the floor plans and renderings for our planned Community Inclusion Center were prepared for us by Groth Design Group in Wisconsin. We first met and came to know GDG through their work with our client Journey21. They produce exceptional work and have an authentic passion to be the go-to architects for intentional communities for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) anywhere in the U.S. They’re also just really nice people!
We know from our work with clients across the country and with our own project that we can tell the whole story from a site plan and our concepts as images are much more powerful and compelling than just a pile of words (who reads these days, anyway?). Pete Damsgaard and the GDG team have generously helped us produce our site plan and Community Inclusion Center floor plans and renderings
We invite you to learn about Groth Design Group in their own words below:
GROTH DESIGN GROUP LEADING THE WAY IN DESIGN OF INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES
GROTH Design Group (GDG) is an architecture, planning, and interior design firm with a mission to Listen, Lead, Serve. The firm collaborates with communities around the country from its three offices in Appleton, Cedarburg and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Founding partner Mike Groth is the son of a minister and created GDG thirty years ago to serve those most in need by focusing on religious and non-profit work. With church design for a variety of denominations as its springboard, the acquisition of talented designers, floods of client referrals, and exploration into different markets soon followed. Today, the forty individuals who make up the staff of GDG support a breadth of markets that include Senior & Supportive Living, Religious, Healthcare, Education, Corporate, Community and Hospitality. The geographic footprint of GDG’s work has grown beyond Wisconsin and the Midwest with current work in Florida, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. Designers can become licensed quickly, if necessary, in states all around the United States.
A MISSION TO LISTEN, LEAD, SERVE
Listen | The first step is listening, to learn and understand. Each project has a unique set of goals, lessons, challenges, and opportunities. GDG seeks to create a roadmap for each client, whether it is a supportive living community, a community group, or a school – each is striving to make its unique dream a reality. GDG assumes nothing and takes the time needed to learn from users. Collaboration is key to gaining a clear understanding of a client’s vision, a vision that will support ALL stakeholders: users, staff, family, community, municipality etc.
Lead | GDG’s expert leadership is based on decades of experience guiding projects with multiple key-stakeholder groups. The ability to find consensus among multiple parties is critical to efficiently identify goals, budget, timeline, opportunities, and challenges. With this experience also comes knowledge of how intangibles can affect outcomes. Gauging community support, knowledge of zoning issues, specific code requirements and much more all result in realized efficiencies in timeline and budget.
Serve | A commitment to creating spaces that best serve the users of the project is of utmost importance. The most successful spaces allow the users to be better than they were before. Most important, GDG creates spaces that serve those who serve, allowing all within to best serve users, families, communities, and each other.
FOCUS ON INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES
Today, GDG is at the forefront of the design of environments for those with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (IDD).
The goals of each community are to create:
· Places of true belonging for community members.
· Socialization opportunities wherein friendships and meaningful relationships flourish.
· Autonomy and the critical sense of purpose so important for health and well-being.
EXPERIENCE = EXPERT GUIDANCE
From initial ‘what-if’ conversations to ribbon cuttings, GDG is a resource to tap with questions, vet ideas and ponder possibilities. They know how the process works – how to bring ideas to fruition in a way that often expands the box of creative solutions, or alternatively, tempers out of reach ideas with workable solutions.
One of the myriad examples is site consideration. It is important that the community be appropriately contained, yet also integrated, with surrounding community, with access to transportation and/or work opportunities, proximity to partnerships and support programs, and outdoor areas for recreation and communion with nature.
Another is interior design choices that ease movement through space: soothing color palates, texture choices from floor to ceiling appropriate for those experiencing sensory disorders, lighting to prevent overstimulation, easy to navigate wayfinding and specially controlled access for safety and security.
These examples only scratch the surface of the overall benefit of having an architect with experience of IDD communities on the team early.
FUNDRAISING AND PARTNERSHIPS
With so many projects dependent on successful fundraising campaigns, it is important to have visuals that elicit excitement and help potential donors visualize a dream. Here is but one example, a fly-through that gave all interested parties a stunning look at ‘what could be’ for a recent project in Wisconsin called Journey21. Described in detail below, this catalytic community is strengthened by relationships and shared programming with many members of the larger community: YMCA, Rogers Health, Best Buddies and Camp Whitcomb, to name a few, in addition to many arts and nature organizations.
CASE STUDY: JOURNEY21, Oconomowoc, WI
Journey21 is the realization of a dream of a group of parents who desired a place for their young adult children to thrive - a safe, inclusive community for developmentally and/or intellectually disabled (IDD) young adults that provides a sense of belonging built around housing and learning programs.
One of the most important goals of this project is to create opportunities for residents to find a community, with interactive living and learning all in one place.
Many individuals with IDD experience a sense of isolation. Journey21’s mission is to change that by becoming a community anchor, offering inclusive programming that helps break down societal barriers and stigmas associated with disabilities.
Journey21 currently serves 160 individuals in their summer academy, programs, and outings. They expect to double this number within a year and further expand this growth through Phase II of the project – the creation of housing for 40-50 people.
Phase I of the community is a 10,000 square-foot Enrichment Center. The Enrichment Center incorporates a multitude of details that allows individuals with IDD to feel safe and comfortable. The building provides flexible spaces, educational rooms, an exercise room, and a gymnasium with large garage doors that open to an outdoor patio with garden boxes, communal seating, an oversized fireplace, and grilling station. Collectively the details of the design contribute to expansive offerings that serve many needs, creating an inclusive space for participants, volunteers, and community users. This purposely created environment empowers individuals to engage, learn, and grow, equipping them to live their lives as independently as possible in a supportive, safe, and healthy community. When individuals with IDD are actively engaged in community programs, the entire community benefits. It fosters a sense of belonging and acceptance among participants, promoting self-confidence and self-esteem. This in turn creates a more compassionate and empathetic community where people value one another’s unique abilities and perspectives.
The Enrichment Center provides ample social opportunities through activities, sports, and learning spaces. All amenities are designed with safety and inclusivity at top of mind and offer teaching moments. The kitchen is often the social epicenter of a home, and the Enrichment Center’s teaching kitchen serves as a tool for individuals to gain independence by learning basic cooking skills, safety measures, social etiquette, and building relationships in a fun and safe environment.
Additional amenities include art and music classrooms, multipurpose gathering space for sports, activities and group gatherings, and an exercise room for physical and mental wellbeing. Outdoor spaces provide areas for relaxation and recreation, including basketball and pickle-ball courts, garden boxes, a large fireplace, and a variety of seating options.
Phase II will include a multi-story lodge building with one- and two-bedroom independent living units and single-family cottages, arranged around a central green space to foster interaction and community.
Planning Your Community?
GROTH Design Group understands that success of a project is not measured by size, but by meeting the specific and unique needs of a group. Whether a small addition to an existing home, or a larger new development, GDG is at the ready to walk you through initial steps and create a roadmap to make your dream a reality.
For more information please contact:
Peter Damsgaard, Partner, pdamsgaard@gdg-architects.com
Jean Casey, Director of Business Development, jcasey@gdg-architects.com