Michelle Sablack Recognized as an Environments for Aging Design Champion
We are thrilled to announce that Michelle Sablack, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP BD+C, Partner at WJW Architects, has been named a Design Champion by Environments for Aging!
What can a building teach us after people move in? For WJW Partner Michelle Sablack, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP BD+C, that question informs a practice grounded in observation, collaboration, and the everyday experiences of older adults.
Environments for Aging has recognized Michelle as a Design Champion in its Fall 2026 issue, highlighting her work to advance affordable assisted living in Ohio. The feature explores how she connects lessons from existing communities with design decisions and state standards that shape new ones.
Michelle developed post-occupancy evaluation protocols for Silver Birch Living communities in Indiana, examining how their spaces performed in use. She observed daily operations and gathered input from maintenance, nursing, dietary, and management teams.
That work revealed opportunities at multiple scales. Residents using power wheelchairs needed more room to maneuver than accessibility codes required. Materials and finishes needed to withstand daily wear while contributing to a comfortable, residential setting.
These findings gave Michelle practical evidence to bring into conversations with owners, operators, and the Ohio Housing Finance Authority as they refined standards for affordable assisted living.
One example involved a proposed requirement for protective kickplates on every door. Michelle helped identify an alternative that met maintenance needs while preserving a more welcoming appearance. The resulting standards allow laminate doors as an option.
It is a small detail with a meaningful lesson: durability and a sense of home deserve consideration together.
The feature also highlights Michelle’s design leadership across 14 affordable assisted living communities in Ohio that are under construction or in design. Her work brings research into the decisions that influence how these communities look, function, and support residents.
At WJW, we value the questions that emerge when we return to a building, listen to the people who use it, and carry what we learn into the next project. We are proud to see Michelle recognized for putting that approach into practice.
Congratulations, Michelle, on this well-deserved recognition.
