In a world of cookie-cutter senior living facilities, several cutting-edge New York designers and architects envision a distinct departure from the norm. The developers behind BOOM, a proposed gay-friendly senior community nestled in the desert outside Palm Springs, picture a re-defining of community for the aging Baby Boomer generation, rooted in sophisticated design and structured to allow residents at different stages of life and wellness to share space and social interaction.
BOOM developers have already invested $250 million in what they hope will become a destination for “design-minded” boomers with money to spare as they approach their golden years. With a design team composed of both established and emerging talent including Joel Sanders, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Jügen Mayer H and LOT-EK, BOOM intends to create a complex of over 300 architecturally innovative residences supplemented by an entertainment complex, wellness center and spa, boutique hotel and meticulous, creative landscaping and pedestrian pathways.
BOOM was originally intended for older gays and lesbians seeking a welcoming senior community that would not induce pressure to go back in the closet after a certain age in order to avoid discrimination. However, the project has grown to include anyone, gay or gay-friendly and straight, who has reached a “certain age” (defined by BOOM developers as anything over 40) and wants to shift gears away from the urban club scene and towards more permanent, re-prioritized roots.
Matthias Hollwich, founding principal of New York firm and BOOM project leader Hollwich Kushner Architects, explained that the project “is about a bold community that invites everyone to think differently about aging. All kinds of people will be going there.”
