Cherry Blossom PACE by Bergmeyer featured on Design Journal.

Cherry Blossom PACE

Healthcare never takes a “one size fits all” approach. The design of a healthcare community shouldn’t either. Our work on Cherry Blossom PACE was created to meet the complex demands of end-users with diverse cognitive and health challenges.

In collaborating with Cherry Blossom PACE on their new PACE Center, we helped to facilitate the development of a new model of the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to bring into the community.

The PACE model offers an alternative to nursing home care for many eligible older people. The amenities and services of the Cherry Blossom center go above and beyond traditional programs, designed to support the needs of the elderly community – especially the challenges of caring for individuals with dementia.

The Cherry Blossom Center reflects the model of “comprehensive, integrated, community-based, and person-centered care” in its design, layout, and finishes which all reflect a deep understanding of PACE participants’ comforts and mindset.

The Cherry Blossom Center’s design balances practical needs with the many challenges of aging. Accessibility is key, and the Center’s design included the addition of a prefabricated new entry specifically for the client. The traditional commercial design approach was not an option for Cherry Blossom PACE, which deeply integrates the comforts of home.

Cherry Blossom PACE Center is the intersection of healthcare, comfort, and hospitality supported by a conscientious design for the community it serves.

The Design Process

In collaboration with Edenbridge Health, we designed for the sensitive needs of the elderly, particularly for those with cognitive impairments. Touchpoints down to the smallest details were incorporated in every room:

The Cherry Blossom PACE Center has a warm, settled, home away from home feeling, creating a sense of calm and comfort for the community members.
An abundance of single-stall restrooms were installed throughout the center for ease of accessibility. Within each restroom, toilets were positioned to maximize privacy.
Amenities such as warm towel holders in the shower stalls add a comforting touch.
The high contrast of select finishes against the fixtures makes them more recognizable. For example, in the restrooms and showers, the grab bars near the toilet and towel bars are black, an intentionally stark contrast to the softer wall and tile colors to further ease the burden of the experience of the elderly community it serves.
The Center was finished in simple tones and patterns to avoid confusion and disorientation, and contrast was critical on different surface plains for distinction.
Instead of “accent walls” in commercial spaces, many of the rooms are finished with accent colors on all walls within a room to create an inviting and familiar space.

Bergmeyer

Since its founding in 1975, Bergmeyer has consistently pushed the boundaries of traditional design thinking, evolving from an architecture and interiors firm to become an omni-disciplinary design collaborative made up of architects, interior designers, graphic designers, and brand strategists that create transformative experiences across market boundaries. ?Inspired through partnership, thoughtfully creative; driven by curiosity and boldness to fulfill the potential of each relationship; Bergmeyer is implicitly trusting of its people and process, celebrating a culture of inclusion and connection to a shared purpose.

Bergmeyer’s approach to design is empowering and ego-free, forming proactive partnerships with its clients and project teams to create a shared sense of ownership throughout the entire creative process.?Unlike traditional multidisciplinary practices that pass work between silos, Bergmeyer integrates teams' thinking around everything from sustainability to architecture to branding to interior design as one seamless co-creation process. This process brings external subject matter experts, stakeholders, client teams, and the communities they serve directly into the design process as integral members of the collaborative team.

Bergmeyer designs for its clients’ clients, the people whose lives and experiences are enhanced by its work. Challenging its teams to focus first on understanding the end user - the customers, students, employees, visitors, and residents - while delivering on its clients’ vision and return on investment.?Bergmeyer has offices in Boston, Los Angeles, and Columbus.?

Celebrating Bergmeyer's 50th anniversary in 2025, this milestone achievement is further enriched by Bergmeyer's recent certification as a B Corporation, joining a global movement of companies using business as a force for good.

Markets we serve:

Workplace

Commercial

Advanced Technology R&D and Industrial

Retail

Restaurant

Hospitality

Housing

Academic

Wellness

Venue

Services we provide:

Architecture

Branding

Environmental Design

Experience Design

Interior Design

Naming

Packaging

Placemaking

Program Management

Strategy

Sustainability Consulting

Visual Merchandising

Wayfinding

Website Design

51 Sleeper St 6th Floor
Boston MA 2210
United States
(617) 542-1025
https://www.bergmeyer.com/

All Projects

Cherry Blossom PACE

Bergmeyer

The Design Process

Bergmeyer