Alderwood Rest Home is one of four long-term care homes in Nova Scotia designed by Montgomery Sisam as part of a renewal strategy initiated by the Provincial Government. The partial two-storey building accommodates a total of 70 residents. Its design is strongly influenced by the narrow, hill-top site, and views from the site to the picturesque Bras d’Or Lake.

The main entrance, multi-purpose room, chapel and front porch form a central, modestly scaled pavilion known as the Manor House. The Manor House serves as the face of the facility; it gives a familiar, residential feel to the home and offers beautiful views out to the water. To reduce the apparent mass of the building, six ‘Resident Houses’ are nestled into the steeply sloping site behind the Manor House, forming an upper and lower level condition. The four lower level houses have direct access to a shared, secure courtyard; the two upper level houses benefit from a generous secure terrace with south-facing views of the lake. Each Resident House features a series of bedrooms clustered around common living and dining spaces. Glazed, single loaded corridors connect these more private spaces to the public amenities of the Manor House. These corridors also lend important daylight to many of the interior support spaces, including the kitchen and laundry rooms.

Forms and materials have been judiciously selected to create a meaningful, contemporary interpretation of local traditions and ways of building. Features such as the front porch, the wood look siding and the sloped roofs work to capture the spirit of maritime architecture. Despite the strict requirements and energy intensive qualities associated with Long Term Care design, Alderwood Rest home achieved LEED Silver Certification.

Montgomery Sisam in association with WHW Architects (now Architecture 49)