Melmark Gate House

residential care home

Berwyn, PA | 3,300 SF

Gate House provides residential care for children with a range of developmental disabilities and behavioral issues. The pre-renovation conditions included a single-family residence utilized as a group home for eight youths. This condition presented multiple challenges for caretaking staff and residents.

Heckendorn Shiles Architects designed the renovations with the safety and comfort of residents and staff in mind. The kitchen was relocated and enlarged to provide more accessible work surfaces and appliances. Interior spaces were ‘opened’, to provide for better sight lines, enabling staff to better monitor and care for residents. Additional interior space for secure medication storage and a staff office was obtained from an existing storeroom. Interior finishes were replaced to provide light, clean, low-maintenance and highly resilient surfaces. The reinvigorated spaces have decreased staffing complications and provided the residents with a sense of pride of place.