Michelle Presents at Environments for Aging Conference

Senior housing where affordability meets quality design

We're proud to share that Michelle recently joined Darrin Jolas, Managing Director of Vermilion Development, to co-present at the Environments for Aging Conference in Phoenix!

Their talk, "Delivering Affordable Assisted Living through Evidence-Informed Design," explored how Vermilion and WJW leveraged post-occupancy evaluations (POEs) of the Silver Birch communities in Indiana to drive smarter design decisions as the portfolio expanded into Ohio. Together, they unpacked the balance between upfront development costs and long-term operating efficiency & marketability. They also illuminated how thoughtful design can deliver affordable assisted living that is just as dignified, safe, healthy, sustainable, and enriching as market-rate properties.

Hearing both the architect's and developer's perspective made for a powerful conversation around what it truly takes to raise the bar for affordable senior living. A huge thank you to Darrin for such a meaningful collaboration!