Resident preferences are changing, and one senior living community in Alabama tailored its wellness services for a new generation with a holistic approach that includes resort-like amenities and services
The active adult community in Hoover, Alabama, was designed to be more than a dwelling for older adults. It was made as a “a framework for thriving,” with a yoga studio, coffee shop, fitness center and other spaces for living, according to owner and operator CR Endeavors.
Arise Knox Square also focuses on intergenerational living, and is part of a larger development that includes single family and mixed-use homes.
With architectural ties to regional tradition to offer a refined street presence, spaces designed for community gathering and acting as a community anchor, Arise Knox Square took the top spot in the 2025 Senior Housing News Architecture and Design Award’s Best Active Adult category.
The concept
Planning for the active adult community started around 2023. It was CR Endeavors’ first foray into the age-restricted housing sector, and the company worked with Nequette Architecture & Design.
Owner CR Endeavors wanted to create 55-plus housing for people looking to downsize or have a home closer to their families, according to Ryan Robertson, COO of CR Endeavors, who oversaw the project.
Underpinning the project was a belief that prospective residents would want to live in a locale that provides “holistic wellness and social engagement.”
At the center of the design was a clubhouse designed to be a focal point for activities and gatherings. The project planners sought to create warm gathering places and placed certain design elements within to spark conversations. For example, touchpoints such as the clubhouse’s coffee bar, mailroom and bar were all designed to “spark spontaneous connection and familiarity,” while offering gathering spaces for residents to meet.
Project planners also designed the clubhouse with a space for communal dining beyond the kitchenettes residents already have in their rooms.
Zooming out the lens to the community’s master plan, the designers strategically located cottages at the community’s entry point in a walkable cluster to foster both independence and neighborly connections along pedestrian paths.
The landscaping design “prioritizes well-being, interaction, and sensory delight” with multiple outdoor “rooms” across the community such as a resort-style outdoor pool, cabana, fitness lawn, bocce court and fire pits. The community’s grounds also include porches, outdoor seating and plants native to its location in Alabama.
The designers sought to reflect the area’s regional identity through articulated rooflines, deep porches and regional materials. It also reinforces an active, walkable lifestyle through its connections to nearby village centers.
According to Nequette Managing Principal Jared Calhoun, “the idea was that Arise, as the multifamily component, and the block to the south that is largely commercial, operate as a kind of village center for the larger residential community.”
Project planners ran into challenges regarding fire codes but found a solution after negotiating with local regulators, according to Calhoun.
“It was more successful than we thought it would be,” Calhoun said.
Calhoun added the level of finish and expectation of quality for the demographic the project is marketed to was “a notch up” for all involved.
The construction
Planners and builder Signature Homes constructed Arise Knox Square in two phases. The first phase included a residential building and clubhouse, and took 19 months to complete; and the second phase, which included an additional building, took four months.
The project team grappled with some delays due to weather and permitting
Project planners made some changes to the design, such as relocating amenities to other spots in the community.
In the end the project was on time and on budget, Robertson said.
“When it became real life, it was a spectacle to see,” Robertson told SHN.
The completion
The team behind Arise Knox Square threw open the community doors in the spring of 2025. The final product already has exceeded expectations, according to Robertson.
“We’ve sold out of several different floor plans already, and everything continues to be on schedule as far as our leasing and goals for once we opened,” he said.
The community has exceeded 60% occupancy, and tenants and prospects have given it their seal of approval.
“So much of the decision making that we go through as architects and the development team … the voice that’s missing from that process is often the folks that end up occupying the space,” Calhoun said. “To get really positive feedback from the people that are living and occupying a project that you’re involved with, I think is always the highest level of praise.”
Judges were impressed with the project’s ties and integrations with the surrounding community.
“The master plan is clearly intent on community integration and it shows,” Judge Ric D’Amico wrote.
Judge Greg Gauthreaux praised the community on its use of material throughout the project, along with the massing on its exterior design and its thoughtful connection with the broader community.
“Very well integrated design, inside and out,” Judge Bruce Horowitz wrote. “Community stitched in with surrounding community spaces is a huge plus. Excellent project.”
