Joseph
Vital to enjoying a healthy lifestyle at The Villages in Central Florida – an active retirement community of over 55 years and over 135,000 residents – are healthcare and wellness services specially designed for its residents. Spread over three counties, the Villages span 32 square miles and comprise a series of neighborhoods, and is home to six healthcare centers run by The Villages Health, a community health system. The new 29,400 square foot ABEP Clinic, in addition to the Center for Advanced Healthcare Brownwood (CAHB) in the Brownwood neighborhood, is designed to offer a personalized system of cognitive, physical and nutrition training through the ABEP Medical Program, based in Tel Aviv, Israel. The focus of the program is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), a treatment in which clients breathe pure oxygen in a pressurized room where the air pressure rises to twice the normal air pressure with the aim of improving cognitive performance.
David Globug, CEO of Aviv Clinics (Sumter County, Florida), says the synergy between The Villages and Aviv Clinics made it naturally fit for its premier location around the world. “Villages are a complete system designed to help individuals enjoy retirement and lead a happy, healthy and active lifestyle,” he says.
Nashville, fig. Architectural firm Which – which (Earl Swensson Associates), which has an ongoing partnership with The Villages and designed many of its healthcare facilities, was tapped to design an Aviv clinic, working with Israeli-based interior design firm Studio Gad and the Aviv Clinic team. The aim of the facility’s design, according to Globig, was to give clients the feeling of going on a journey to better health. “[We wanted] To create an environment that provides a sense of science, technology and luxury embedded in every aspect of care, ”he says.
This directive has inspired an idea of the aesthetic that combines high-end hospitality with first-class aviation service to deliver the essence of “clean, high-tech and contemporary – but not cold,” says Sam Burnett, European Space Agency director.
The 29,580 sq. Ft. Clinic, which opened in April 2020, consists of three distinct areas, starting with the front lobby, which are designed to feel like a contemporary hotel with warm wood tones and cream surfaces. The second zone includes diagnostic and screening services as clients undergo a rigorous examination before starting treatment to ensure they are physically able to undergo two-hour stress treatments for two weeks. The clinic installation area is the third zone, which includes two HBOT rooms, each the size of a shipping container and divided to support 28 clients in each, with a decompression room in the center.
The aviation theme is most prominent in the rooms and areas that encounter clients around them. For example, the waiting area resembles an airline club lounge with glass walls, stacked seats and wooden details, while the envelope of each room reflects the soft, rounded shapes of the fuselage. Once inside the rooms, customers find comfortable and comfortable seats reminiscent of a First Class cabin.
Globe says the clinic has exceeded expectations since it opened. “He just feels welcome and comfortable. Clinically, he flows well. Our clients absolutely love him.”
