Wesley at Tehaleh Senior Living - PNW Inspired Design
Surrounded by walkable nature trails and views of Mount Rainier, Wesley at Tehaleh is a senior living campus that enhances the landscape's natural features. AHBL is proud to have teamed with architect Cuningham, General Contractor Ryan Companies, and developer Wesley Homes to provide civil and structural engineering, land use planning, and land surveying services.
Brought to life during the pandemic, the new 400,000 SF community features 136 independent living units, 42 catered living units, 18 memory care units, and a 24,000 SF town center. AHBL’s engineers supported the effort to bring nature closer to residents by assisting with the design of multiple ponds, an on-site creek, and curving walkways throughout the campus providing an organic look and feel.
To accommodate the positioning of the building which allows for views of Mount Rainier, AHBL’s civil engineers designed ADA access, ADA parking stalls, and general parking while balancing site grading. Bill Fierst, P.E., a civil principal at AHBL who worked on the project said, “the client requested we design the site for maximum functionality for all residents and to encourage a healthy lifestyle.” AHBL also provided designs for the emergency access drive lane, site circulation, sanitary sewer and storm drainage utility extension, water and fire service design and coordination, and stormwater management.
In line with the efforts to make the buildings feel part of their natural surroundings, AHBL’s structural team worked closely with Cuningham, to achieve their Northwest inspired aesthetic. Exposed timber framing was provided at main public areas, exterior decks, and entry canopies. AHBL also collaborated with the project team to provide cost-effective conventional structural framing solutions where appropriate. During the pandemic, AHBL and Ryan Companies worked jointly to review submittals and perform structural observation to help minimize schedule delays resulting from COVID-19 impacts on the construction workflow. Balancing the structural solutions for the facility helped maintain the project cost while helping express the architectural features in the community spaces that led to a gorgeous final aesthetic.
Drew McEachern, P.E., S.E., shared “Wesley at Tehaleh is a community that supports residents as they age from independent senior living to assisted living and memory care. It was a meaningful project to work on, and we were thrilled to be able to support the design team with their vision for the facility.”
AHBL’s land use planners also helped contribute to the success of the project by leading the permitting efforts for the building, site development, and sanitary sewer. The land survey team performed a topographic survey, as well as a boundary survey in accordance with 2016 ALTA/NSPS requirements.
Wesley at Tehaleh is a component of the larger master-planned community of Tehaleh by Newland. Because of the tenacity of AHBL’s surveyors and engineers’ resolve to make site visits throughout the process, which was impacted by reoccurring shutdowns, the campus opened in July 2021.
Wesley at Tehaleh is located in Bonney Lake, Washington.