As a designer, Leslie has produced many projects, regarded as first-of-their-kind designs, incorporating new
principles emulated by many:
*Connecting seniors to the world around them, illustrated by her design of some of the first urban, high-rise, and mixed-use senior living communities;
*Incorporating sustainable principles in senior design, evidenced by her 1992 award-winning passive solar heated low-income housing project and most recently in the USA Today article “Seniors Embrace Green Ways,” raising national awareness of the issue.
*Planning for wellness as the foundation and purpose of senior living design by incorporating biophilic principles;
*Designing highly-regarded low-income communities for seniors, providing the first-of-their-kind continuum of care for seniors.
*Encouraging culture change by espousing home-style environments in lieu of institutional care settings for frail seniors;
*Developing special-needs environments attuned to clients’ unique.
Leslie Moldow FAIA has redefined the future of senior living and special needs housing design. Through her sensitive designs; progressive advocacy; environmental research and writing; and education of architects, developers, and users, she has inspired a generation to raise the design quality of facilities for the most needy in our society. Leslie has instigated new thinking, collaborated on trend-setting projects, and connected key leadership in a fruitful effort to raise the bar of design in the senior living field.
As an advocate, her position as advisor over four years and then as Chair of the National AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community allowed Leslie to reach out to local components through the creation of numerous local committees.
As a researcher and writer published in more than 25 publications, Leslie explores, tests, and shares new design concepts. She facilitated the “Post-Occupancy Evaluation Kit” beta-tested on senior living projects.
As an educator with affiliations at six universities and as a seasoned lecturer at national and international venues, Leslie has shared her passion for design for the aging with college students, architects, facility operators, and development professionals. Through her presentations she has inspired the next generation of architects who want to better the state of senior living design, challenged architects to think differently about their designs, and raised the bar of clients’ design expectations.