Principal and Co-Leader of Senior Living at Perkins Eastman
Martin, a principal and co-leader of Perkins Eastman’s senior living practice, grew up the eldest of four children on the family farm in Iowa. As a child, Martin spent many hours with two of his great-grandmothers – both in their 80’s. Vigorous and astute, both women were committed to watching Lawrence Welk and Hee Haw, and teaching young Martin to play cards.
Martin’s conversations over card games with his great-grandmothers often touched upon a shared desire to avoid the institutional, dreaded nursing home. Recollections of these discussions have allowed Martin a unique perspective and curiosity; his family was able to provide the care to enable both of his great-grandmothers the ability to live out their lives in the comfort of home - but how would their experience have changed if they’d instead spent their final years in a nursing home? As Martin discovered his calling for architecture, he began to explore how he could use his vocation to provide housing alternatives that keep elderly engaged and active so that more would enjoy a similar quality of life as his grandmothers.
Martin joined Perkins Eastman in 1990. Guided by his passion for planning and designing compassionate and forward-thinking care environments for our elders, Martin leads many of the firm’s most challenging and complex senior living projects. He approaches each assignment with an open, questioning mind and looks for ways to integrate nature and sensitive and sustainable site and building design. He works with clients to establish design processes based on a multidisciplinary team structure that empowers staff and breaks through departmental boundaries of traditional roles, while integrating the wisdom of front line staff.
He leverages his 39 years of experience to facilitate his clients’ strategic thinking. He has been a speaker, collaborator, and strategic partner to LeadingAge and their state associations; he has given lectures on creating the best environments for aging adults and consumer elder care trends in the US and Canada. He is a frequent contributor to industry publications; he was a contributing author to the John Wiley & Sons publication, Building Type Basics for Senior Living, 2nd Edition 2013.