Greg Pattison, Principal at Parkin, is quoted in a feature titled Designing Outdoor Spaces that Enhance Resident Wellness, where he shares expert insight on the critical role accessibility plays in creating successful outdoor environments for senior care communities.
In the feature, Greg emphasizes that accessibility should be foundational to outdoor design, not an element added later:
“Successful outdoor spaces begin with accessibility. It is not a feature to layer on later, but rather the framework. We treat accessibility as a starting constraint the same way we do in our new office and hospital work, where we explicitly design with accessibility standards rather than retrofitting later.”
Outdoor spaces offer far more than aesthetic appeal for senior care communities. When thoughtfully designed, they actively support physical health, cognitive function, and emotional well-being, making them a vital component of both new construction and campus renovations, not an afterthought to interior design.
With a background in long-term care and other institutional facilities, Greg brings practical, experience-driven insight into how outdoor environments can be intentionally designed to support resident health, foster connection, and enhance overall quality of life. His perspective reinforces the idea that outdoor spaces, when planned with purpose, can become powerful tools for wellness rather than passive amenities.
The feature explores how intentional design decisions can transform outdoor environments into spaces that encourage movement, engagement, and meaningful connection, helping senior care communities better support the people who call them home.
Read the full feature to learn how strategic outdoor design can elevate resident wellness and create more supportive, human-centered communities.