Q1 2024 Newsletter

The Evolving Sector of Senior & Assisted Living in Healthcare Design Construction

New practices in eldercare design and construction signal shift towards a new model of resident-centered care.

Healthcare design and construction trends are constantly evolving as we discover better ways to holistically care for patients and their families. The changes we see in long-term care facilities (LTCs), from independent and assisted living to nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities, are particularly dynamic as providers look for new ways to care for the next generation of seniors. In a recent white paper, the Center for Innovation highlights the many challenges facing LTCs, from poor reputation, rising costs, and lack of staff. Opportunities now exist to build smarter, more inclusive facilities better equipped to meet the needs of a growing senior population.

Over the years, our company has completed skilled nursing, senior, and assisted living facilities totaling more than 1,600 beds where the design and programming of each has become more progressive.

Completed in 2008, Sunrise Assisted Living follows a more traditional approach to layout and how care is provided to its residents.

Despite its traditional layout, the interior was built to stringent hospital construction safety standards.

Recently, within just the last five years, we've noticed a gradual shift towards more community-focused and resident-centered care.

Gone is the siloed segregation of age-specific communities. Now the ideal eldercare system brings community connection to the center of care delivery. We first experienced this change during our building of the Sage Oak Assisted Living Facility in Lake Charles. Created as part of a larger mixed-use development, Sage Oak consists of 80 units across six buildings designed around the concept of a single-family home. Bedrooms are situated in smaller “pods” to create shorter hallways. This design concept comes with budget and constructability challenges such as having large amounts of utilities due to multiple buildings as well as higher than normal area of exterior façade walls.

The layout of these "homes" is designed to minimize the institutional feel and provide the community with common areas for various activities, as seen here at Sage Oak Assisted Living in Lake Charles.

Just last year, we completed a two-phase addition and renovation for the historic Poydras Home in New Orleans. Designed around the Green House Project Model of care, the new 60,000-square-foot addition embraces a similar approach to Sage Oak where private bedrooms can be personalized to each resident. Rooms are situated around a central core living room and kitchen. Residents are encouraged to foster greater community engagement in a supportive “hearth-and-home” environment.

While repurposing historic buildings has the advantages of utilizing existing structures and façade and the potential for historic tax incentives depending on the building's age, it comes with many challenges. Many times, historic buildings have issues with the existing envelope and require careful design and reconstruction to ensure the building is water-tight. There are also challenges with unforeseen structural or MEP conditions once uncovered. A thorough vetting of existing conditions as well as an in-depth preconstruction process will alleviate many issues that arise from historic rehab projects

The second phase of our Poydras Home project provided a transformative renovation of the existing historic house, expanding its functional footprint across 7,500 square feet.

One size fits none.

In concluding its study, the Center for Innovation reminds the industry that “one size fits none.” As design and construction continue to play their role in this evolution of eldercare, it’s important to consider what is needed to feel at home, “and then work toward making that a reality for everyone.”


Historic senior living facility is reimagined with new model of care.

The Poydras Home campus has been reimagined to include a new 60,000-square-foot addition and the 7,500-square-foot renovation of its historic 160-year-old main building. Completed across two phases spanning 26 months, the project would overcome several challenges related to supply chain, logistics, and the global pandemic.

The result is a facility focused on cutting-edge health and wellness while maintaining a traditional look and feel.

Poydras Home Case Study

Noteworthy Projects & Recent Completions

Resource Bank Tchoupitoulas

Resource Bank's newest branch office brings 18,000 square feet of space across four floors. Banking and office space occupies the first floor, shell space for future office buildouts on the second and third floors, and a private conference/event space with a rooftop terrace on the fourth floor offering great views of the river and downtown New Orleans.

Ascension DePaul OC Haley Clinic

Located within a new affordable housing development, the Ascension DePaul OC Haley Clinic spans 8,800 square feet, and includes 15 examination rooms, procedure rooms, nurses' stations, a pharmacy, and various amenities. Construction of this fast-tracked project was completed in only five months.

Aldi Siegen and O'Neal

Baton Rouge welcomed two new Aldi retail stores as we completed construction on both stores within the last few months. This now marks our third store completed for this national grocery chain. Both projects also included all-new storm drainage and stormwater management, a new parking lot, new light poles, and signage

Tulane University School of Medicine 4th Floor Renovation

Tulane University hired DFC to perform preconstruction and construction work for this fast-tracked lab buildout on the downtown New Orleans campus. The construction included a 7,900 SF buildout on the 4th floor of the existing Tulane Hospital, featuring high-end labs with extensive lab casework, laboratory gas systems, two fume hoods, stainless steel welded ductwork for new exhaust, freezer farms, as well as associated offices and administrative areas.

Niagara Bottling

Our team recently completed this 500,000-square-foot production facility for Niagara Bottling led by our partner, Choate Construction. Tilt wall construction with steel structure was used to build the project on the 100+ acre site. The tilt wall construction involved the use of concrete panels that are supported by a steel frame, which provides the structure with strength and stability.

NSU Alost (Kyser) Hall

We’re making great progress in Natchitoches on this new 72,000 SF multi-story classroom and admin building for Northwestern State University. Concrete pads are poured and structural steel is well underway.

Slidell Memorial Hospital

The new 60,000 SF, $50 million addition to Slidell Memorial Hospital will expand the hospital's main campus with a brand-new set of operating suites, an additional ICU, and an additional inpatient care unit. The project is set for completion in early 2025.

Ascension Algiers

This 20,000 SF ground-up medical facility for Ascension DePaul will bring much-needed extended health services to the Algiers community. Our team is currently working on the interior buildout. The project is on track for a summer 2024 opening.

Lady of the Sea

After being severely damaged during Hurricane Ida, the new ground-up 80,000 SF hospital for Lady of the Sea will include 23 inpatient med-surg beds, ICU unit, emergency, radiology, labs, and cardiopulmonary services, among others.

Community Sailing

DonahueFavret Contractors has recently started construction of the Tulane University - Community Sailing Center. The building will house offices and breakrooms for staff as well as multipurpose rooms for presentations. The first floor of the building will house a workshop to repair sailboats for the users of the facility.

Bayou Bend Hospital

This two-phase project for Bayou Bend Hospital continues our success with the hospital. Phase one includes enhancements to the existing facility while phase two will focus on adding a new MRI suite and other infrastructure improvements. Both phases are scheduled for completion in 2025.

DonahueFavret welcomes its newest ownership partner, Max Ferran

Join us in welcoming Max Ferran, vice president and director of operations, as DonahueFavret’s newest partner to join the company’s ownership group! In his nearly 10 years with our company, Max’s tenure has been defined by his leadership, innovative thinking, and commitment to our clients and partners. Congratulations, Max!

"This is an exciting time for our company,” added John Donahue, president & CEO of DonahueFavret Contractors. “This strategic move is not just a testament to Max's dedication to our clients and exceptional contributions but also aligns seamlessly with our long-range strategic plan. We are confident that he will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the future success of DonahueFavret.”

Existing partners Patrick Descant, vice president of preconstruction services; Bryan Hodnett, vice president of business development; and David Dupre, vice president of operations, have also increased their ownership interest in the company, rounding out this long-range strategic move.