The thoughtfulness and creativity that are incorporated into the architectural design of any RCAC, along with the choices that are made during this time, will affect its initial cost, marketability, efficiency of operations, and ongoing maintenance costs - all of which ultimately result in how affordable it will be. Understanding the many factors that go into this process is very important.

• How will it look? Is it appealing?
• How will it be perceived in the community? Is it welcome?
• Will the tenants like it? Will they be served well in this design?
• How will it be designed to fit the needs of the tenants, now and in the future – not only those "aging in place" but also those that will select it ten years from now?
• How will the design create operational efficiencies for the staff? For example, are bathrooms an easy and straight distance from the bedroom so that a tenant can navigate it on his own at night without assistance? Or, are closet rods low enough so a tenant can easily hang or reach for his clothes himself without help?
• What initial choices are made with regard to maintenance costs down the road?
• What is the life cycle of the items selected and how will this affect future budgets and/or operating reserves - furnishings and equipment, carpet, roofing, siding, HVAC, painting, etc.?

Architecture And Design Resources

The following resources are to help understand not only some of the requirements but present ideas about how to integrate them into the development and how to select an architect.

• HUD information about accessibility that is required by different federal laws, accessibility that is voluntary, and information about innovative accessible designs for multifamily and single family housing.
• Definitions for accessible, adaptable, and universal design by Ron Mace, The Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State University.
• If you are looking for resources or information on assistive technology, WisTech may be able to help. An assistive technology (AT) device is any product or piece of equipment used to maintain or improve the functional capabilities of people with disabilities is. People with disabilities, their families, service providers, and other members of the community can access WisTech for information on selecting, funding, installing and using assistive technology.
• Virtual tour of a showcase accessible model home, built by Options for Independent Living, Inc., Green Bay, WI. Ideas abound for modifications and assistive technology devices in a residential setting.
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, School of Architecture, Institute on Aging and Environment was funded by the Helen Daniels-Bader Charitable Trust in 1990 to promote research, scholarship, and service concerning environments for older persons, particularly those suffering from cognitive impairments.
• The Affordable Design Advisor brings together experience and ideas from successful affordable housing projects all over the country, and the people who developed, designed and built them.
• The fourth cycle of the Design for Aging Review program, the first online version of an ongoing collaboration between The American Institute of Architects' Design for Aging Center and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.
• AIA Wisconsin is the state society of The American Institute of Architects, the nation's largest and oldest professional organization for architects.
• How to find an architect.

Wisconsin RCAC Building Requirements

Review Chapter HFS 89 for details on building requirements. Highlights include:

Apartment design and features:

• A minimum size of 250 square feet of interior floor space, excluding closets.
• An adequate size and configuration to permit tenants to carry out, with or without assistance, all the functions necessary for independent living, including sleeping; sitting; dressing; personal hygiene; storing, preparing, serving and eating food; storing clothing and other personal possessions; doing personal correspondence and paperwork; and entertaining visitors.
• An individual entrance/exit that can be locked. (A single door may serve as both.) Keys to the apartment and to the RCAC building must be supplied to the tenant.
• A kitchen that is a visually and functionally distinct area within the apartment. The refrigerator must have a freezer compartment; the sink must have hot and cold running water; and the stove or microwave oven must be designed so that it can be disconnected, if necessary, for tenant safety.
• An individual bathroom that is not shared with or accessed from any other apartment unit.
• Sleeping and living areas that are each visually and functionally distinct areas within the apartment but not necessarily separate rooms. There must be sufficient space so the tenant doesn't have to either sleep in the living area or use the sleeping area for eating, socializing or other general living uses. The tenant must be able, if desired, to arrange the furniture to give some visual privacy for the sleeping area.

Public and common area design features:

All RCAC public and common use areas must be accessible to and useable by tenants who use a wheelchair or other mobility aid, consistent with the accessibility standards. For more information on the application of the building code refer to the State of WI Department of Commerce website and Chapter Comm 61 of the WCBC. Accessibility standards are specifically noted in ss. Comm 61.1101 to 62.1107 and technically detailed in ANSI standard A117.1-1998.

All areas for tenant use within the RCAC shall be accessible from indoors.

If interspersed with independent living apartments:

An RCAC unit may be interspersed with independent living apartment units in the same building; an RCAC may share dining room and other common space with an attached apartment building.

There is no restriction on sharing of space or activities with congregate housing, housing for the elderly or other purely residential uses.

If attached or a part of a nursing home or community based residential facility (CBRF)

It must be physically distinct:

• RCAC tenants must not be required to first enter or pass through a portion of any of them in order to enter the RCAC.

It must be programmatically distinct:

• A dining room or activity area may be shared, provided it is not scheduled for concurrent use by residents of the other facility.
• RCAC tenants must not be required to go to any of the facilities to receive supportive, personal or nursing services included in the service agreement.

An RCAC may share a common lobby and access area of a multipurpose building and may be entered via elevator from the lobby or access area.

Sharing of an RCAC apartment unit is limited to a spouse or a roommate chosen by the tenant.