Grand Living at Lake Lorraine

When Ryan and Grand Living Management, LLC, formed a partnership to develop, own and operate a series of distinctive communities, the idea was to support and facilitate the nationwide expansion of a model that is innovating the standard approach to senior living by prioritizing white-glove hospitality, organic community engagement and flexible care options.

The Grand Living location at Lake Lorraine is a 156-unit, market-rate senior living community on the southern shore of Lake Lorraine on the west side of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The 200,000-SF facility consists of 69 independent living units, 57 assisted living units and 30 memory care units.

Ryan’s design and direction helped Grand Living put the priority on high-end amenities that foster engagement and interaction, while helping residents to thrive in the space long term. This includes multiple dining options, an upscale wellness and spa facility, high-tech fitness equipment, a full-service salon, a theatre for live performances and a club room. Maximizing its location on the south side of Lake Lorraine, the community offers easily accessible walking paths around the lake and direct access to retailers and restaurants within the lifestyle center.

In designing the Grand Living communities, we developed a flexible, replicable model. The goal is to achieve lower costs and increase efficiency and speed to market, while still creating a custom environment that suits the community in which it is located. While provisions are made depending on the site, the model is highly adaptable. The exterior is uniquely designed to fit within and reflect the context of the surrounding area.

At the end of the schematic design process for the Lake Lorraine community, an unforeseen and very restrictive health code issue was uncovered that threatened the design and had the potential to fully derail the project. Ryan brought the state health department into the discussion to provide insights, and ultimately we came up with an alternative that fully complied with code standards and allowed the development to proceed. Ryan demonstrated uncommon commitment, digging deeper to understand the obstacle and challenging conventional thinking to devise a new and creative solution.

The Lake Lorraine project is a perfect example of how great design helps communities flourish, and can be a catalyst for promoting vital relationships and interactions—among family, between residents and staff, with the outside community and across generations.

In addition to offering extensive on-site amenities, Grand Living also aims to partner with the community surrounding their developments, so locations are chosen thoughtfully. For Grand Living Lake Lorraine, the location was ideal—Ryan helped to secure a prominent site within close proximity to local businesses and schools that would encourage engagement between residents and the outside community. As the development promised benefits to the surrounding Sioux Falls business and residential community, such as employment opportunities and increased retail traffic, the project was immediately viewed as an asset to the area.