Cedarwood Towers
Rochester, NY

Cedarwood Towers is an urban high-rise living center for senior citizens. Bayer Associates was retained to design improvements to an existing courtyard which was poorly defined, offered little security or privacy to residents, and no separation from the service functions of the building complex. It featured excessive amounts of awkwardly detailed concrete pavement, uncomfortable metal furnishings, and dated cube lights. This forbidding environment resulted in the virtual abandonment of the principal outdoor space on the property by the buildings’ tenants.  The new courtyard garden offers a stunning contrast to the starkness of the "modern" concrete buildings, and yet the repeated curvilinear forms found in the garden manage to successfully integrate it with the cylindrical towers. The courtyard has become a source of year round pleasure for residents who find its soft forms, colors, and textures pleasing, whether viewed from within the building or while strolling in the garden.  Bayer Associates’ work at Cedarwood Towers included all phases of the design process as well as construction administration.