Sudbury architecture students help design Chapleau seniors' home

Chapleau's Maison Boréal Home is teaming up with students from Laurentian University's McEwan School of Architecture to help design a seniors' residence.

A community meeting will take place in Chapleau on Saturday, Sept. 24 to share ideas.

The publicity officer for the Maison Boréal Home said students have already been to the community and have a few ideas.

"They will have a few concepts to introduce to us about possible places to put [the residence] and the sort of construction that might be used," Bonnie Ivey said.

"There may be many different models of styles of housing."

Currently, fourth-year architecture students are required to take a course called Design Studio, Ivey said.

"Rather than work on something academic out of a book, they are welcoming the opportunity to work with real people," she said.

Ivey said there is already an apartment building for seniors and long term care facilities in the hospital.

"We're aiming at people who have some needs, who are finding it difficult to remain in their own home," she said.

"Our hope is to have a mixture [of housing options] so we can accommodate several different types of needs."

Seniors and their families will be able to meet with architecture professors and students and share ideas.

The meeting will take place at the Sacred Heart Church on Lorne Street in Chapleau. Two sessions will take place, starting at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.