Beyond ADA: Social Connections in Aging Communities

How does the need for community change as we age? What does it mean to be socially connected and physically cared for in your home? How can design facilitate better living for an aging community? How can design be used as a tool for advocacy?

The AIANY Interiors, Design for Aging, Housing, and Social Science and Architecture Committees are convening a panel on accessible design and housing for aging communities to commemorate the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Designers working in concert with developers and local communities are creating housing that is sustainable, affordable, and adaptable for an aging population. Join us for a presentation and panel discussion, followed by a breakout session to explore this important topic.

Speakers:
Matthew Bremer, AIA, NCARB, Founder and Principal, Architecture in Formation
Elissa Winzelberg, Design & Construction Consultant, Breaking Ground
Darin Reynolds, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Partner, COOKFOX
Jenna Breines, Director of Real Estate Development, West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, Inc (WSFSSH)
Mohini Mishra, LMSW, Vice President, Senior Communities;  Selfhelp Community Services, Inc.

Moderator:
Eve Klein, Co-Founder, AIANY Social Science and Architecture Committee

About the Speakers:
Matthew Bremer founded Architecture in Formation around the love of making, collaborating, solving complex problems in unconventional ways, and simply leaving the world a better, healthier, happier place, and using design as a tool to tackle problems for those most in need. Architecture in Formation celebrates the rich, rigorous, laborious, and messy process of making architecture, and engages each project with a fresh set of eyes. Bremer is engaged as creative director in each project from start to finish, getting to know each client, each site, each budget, each set of unique problems early on to refine their needs and aspirations, and to find hidden opportunities and latent strategies.

Elissa Winzelberg is a consultant to Breaking Ground in the planning, design and construction of properties the nonprofit developer leases or owns. Prior to her role as consultant, she was Breaking Ground’s Director of Design and Construction, responsible for  analyzing prospective sites, participating in the selection of consultants and contractors, coordinating programming and design based upon targeted populations and overseeing the construction process through project start up and post-occupancy.

Before joining Breaking Ground in 2008, Winzelberg designed and developed affordable multi-family housing primarily in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to working as a principal in her own firm, she was a partner in Anderson Associates Architects and an associate at Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners. At Beyer Blinder Belle she participated in designing and administrating housing, offices, and manufacturing facilities, specializing in historic preservation. She is a registered Architect having received her Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute, and a Masters in Historic Preservation from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture and Planning. Winzelberg is LEED AP Building Design and Construction, a Certified Passive House Designer, holds a Green Roof for Healthy Cities certification, and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects

Darin Reynolds is a partner at COOKFOX Architects, joining the studio in 2006. He has led a diverse range of projects, from workplaces and high-end single-family homes to urban affordable and supportive housing.

Jenna Breines is the Director of Real Estate Development at West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, Inc. (WSFSSH), a mission-driven, supportive housing provider with a portfolio of 2,600+ units in 31 buildings in Manhattan and the Bronx. Before joining WSFSSH in 2021, Breines spent 15+ years at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where most recently she was Director of the Senior Affordable Rental Apartments program in the Division of Special Needs Housing.

Mohini Mishra is a licensed master social worker with proven expertise in planning and project/case management. She has been with Selfhelp Community Services, Inc. since 2004, and currently serves as a Vice President with oversight of Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model (SHASAM) independent living facilities, Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs), Older Adult Centers, Community Guardianship, Adult Protective Services, and Case Management. Mishra has successfully led several social determinants of health projects and has introduced evidence-based assessments tools to better understand client needs. She also provided leadership in a 12-month health and housing project on indoor air quality in low-income senior housing. Mishra is a board member at the State Board at Regents of the University of the State of New York Office of Professions (Social Work). She is committed to highlighting the importance of community-based organizations in supporting social determinants of health and is part of the Gravity project, which seeks to create national standards for representing social determinants of health in electronic health records. She is also involved in the diversity, equity, and inclusion work in her organization, and serves as the Chair of the Diversity Committee at the New York Chapter of National Association of Social Work.

Eve Klein is an architect and planner with expertise in the social and psychological impact of built environments in higher education and cultural institutions. She is a doctoral candidate in Environmental Psychology at the Graduate Center (CUNY). Her research focuses on how the social sciences can contribute to design processes and equity on college campuses. She currently teaches Environmental Psychology, Urban Studies, and Graduate Architecture Seminars regarding aligning values with design practice at Pratt Institute. She is co-founder of the Social Science + Architecture Committee, AIANY. In addition, she is the Chair of the Board for the Design Trust for Public Space. Previously, she was the AVP of Strategic Assessment, Planning & Design at New York University.

COVID-19 vaccinations and face masks are strongly encouraged for all visitors. Read our full Health and Safety Protocol here.