At Austin Engineering, we’re incredibly proud of the work we do for our clients. And in our Project Spotlight, we hope to highlight a few of our clients and some of the best design, landscaping and civil engineering work we were able to provide them. For this month’s Spotlight, we are looking back at the Villas of Holly Brook, with assisted living facilities throughout Illinois and other parts of the country.
We’ve been fortunate to work with the Villas of Holly Brook for as long as we have. To date, it’s been about ten years since our first project, and we still have new projects lined up or in the works. Our working relationship began in Washington, IL, when Holly Brook accepted our bid for their new location. Our team had familiarity with the land and other projects throughout Washington, hence Holly Brook choosing us for their next construction. From then on, Holly Brook has continued to trust our guidance and service, hiring us for 24 more facilities over the past decade.
The Villas of Holly Brook have many locations throughout Illinois and several other states. They are a family-owned company that provides quality care and assisted living space for the elderly. Some locations also include memory care units, where patients with Alzheimer’s or Dementia are taken care of. Currently, Holly Brook has 22 locations in Illinois, three locations in Florida and one in Indiana.
Each facility we’ve helped build is unique in its location, acreage and initial design. Simply put, they take up a significant amount of space, 10 to 12 acres on average. However, this is where the uniqueness of design explains the need for such space. The majority of facilities are on one floor. And when you fit anywhere from 50 assisted living units and 25 memory care units onto one piece of property, you need a lot of space to spread out. The one-floor design is intentional, so these facilities’ residents can easily move about without climbing stairs.
To further assist with residents’ movements, the entirety of used land must be leveled out to one elevation, a monumental task. Orchestrating the balance of earth for each site takes time but allows us to add fun features to the property, like ponds and other waterworks.
Overall, each facility for Holly Brook is a significant undertaking, where most take up a large footprint. The goal of each project is to fit the desired construction into the area provided. Generally, building designs stay the same from location to location. It’s a matter of making said building design work within different sets of parameters.
As a civil engineering firm, there are regulations, building codes and zoning restrictions we must abide by. Interestingly enough, one of our most recent projects for Holly Brook had us working with the Federal Aviation Administration out of Peoria, IL. This unique situation happened due to the location of the facility. While the property was a fair distance from the airport, it was positioned near the end of a runway. This meant we had to abide by specific height restrictions and coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration to stay clear of incoming and outgoing air traffic. We ran into a similar issue when constructing another facility in Bethalto, IL.
Austin Engineering and the Villas of Holly Brook continue to partner to develop and construct assisted care facilities throughout Illinois and beyond! We’ve seen incredible growth with Holly Brook over the last ten years, and we look forward to what our next project brings.
Speaking of “next projects,” our upcoming Project Spotlight will shed light on some of the work we’ve done for one of the Midwest’s favorite eateries: Portillo’s! And if you have questions about the work Austin Engineering has done for any of our clients, reach out to us today at 309-204-0694. Austin Engineering is proud to offer the best land surveying, landscaping and civil engineering services in Illinois and other parts of the country. Also, our corporate office is located at 311 SW Water St, Ste 215, Peoria, IL 61602.
