With every passing year, more and more evidence has pointed to the health and longevity benefits socialization can deliver. Interacting with other people can spur an interest in fitness, reduce anxiety and stress and improve cognitive functioning. Social activity is associated with a decreased risk of dementia in old age, and can lead to sharper memory and improved communication and empathy skills.
Many older adults experience greater difficulty forging strong human bonds than they did in their younger years. For that reason, senior living communities have long recognized the importance of encouraging socialization as a means of staving off deterioration of mind and body. That’s why residential settings for older adults urge residents to leave their apartments for dining, book clubs, educational programs, fitness classes, volunteer activities, worship services and even knitting groups.
Post pandemic, what’s worked for senior residential settings has been embraced more avidly at growing numbers of luxe residential settings catering to all ages. A Forbes Health survey revealed 56% of respondents felt a greater sense of isolation and 29% were more depressed after onset of Covid-19 lockdowns. This kind of evidence has helped convince developers of new luxury residential projects to designate gathering spaces that spark bonding experiences and inspire diurnal social rituals.
Daily sunsets
Ritz Carlton Residences, Estero Bay activates a strong sense of community by including a number of dining and entertainment settings within the property’s 36,000 square feet of indoor amenities. These spaces include a private dining room, the Sports/ News Café with a trio of televisions, a Whiskey and Wine Room and most notably, Sunset Lounge, which encourages residents to meet daily at sunset for tea or cocktails.
“When designing the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Estero Bay, we understood buyers would be individuals who place high value on spending quality time with their families and like-minded peers,” says Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the property’s developer, London Bay Development Group. “We created a place that enables them to select from a variety of memorable spaces to host visiting loved ones or enjoy dinner and drinks with friends and neighbors without having to leave the property.”
Social spaces
Opened this fall, EDITION Residences Fort Lauderdale is a 65-residence community expressly designed for worldly jetsetters. Amenities intended to keep residents socially connected include meditation gardens, an intracoastal riverwalk, a cucina offering eat-in gourmet kitchen for private events, as well as a moonroof providing a nighttime setting for residents to unwind, relax and engage in star gazing.
“Today’s jetsetter has become accustomed to world-class hotel amenities that encourage you to get out of your room and into social spaces activated to your needs,” says Rishi Kapoor, CEO of Location Ventures, the developer of EDITION Residences Fort Lauderdale.
“Now they expect the same extent of luxury offerings at their residences, which is why we partnered with EDITION. Home is no longer a place to rest your head. It has become a place that provides opportunities to make connections.”
Family fun
Destined to be a living and visiting destination for families in the fast-rising enclave of North Miami Beach. Nexo Residences features 254 residences and short-term rental availability. Common-area amenities are intended to bring people of all ages –particularly families — together. They include a lushly landscaped children’s playground, outdoor lawn with movie theater as well as games like ping pong, fuzzball and billiards. “Connectivity is the core of our design for Nexo, which speaks to its meaning as a central point that links people and places together,” says Edgardo Defortuna, president and CEO of the developer, Fortune International Group.
The recently unveiled Villa Valencia in Coral Gables incorporates 39 ultra-high-end condominium residences in what it calls “a wellness community.” The property offers a 10,000-square-foot onsite park and garden for group exercise classes, 78-foot pools with lap lanes and waterfall, fitness facility with yoga and Pilates, a sprawling hammam, his-and-hers saunas and hydrotherapy plunge pools.