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42ND
FPC SEMINAR + EXPO
AND CHARITY GOLF
Gaius Nelson
RA, EDAC
Nelson Tremain Partnership. P.A.
Biography :
Gaius Nelson is president and founding principal of Nelson Tremain Partnership, an architectural practice focused on improving design solutions for older people. In 1987 he pioneered the first skilled nursing Household/Neighborhood in the United States at Evergreen Retirement Community. Since then, the household model has been recognized as a best practice for designing living and care environments for seniors and individuals utilizing various levels of care and support. Designing the nation’s first WELL™ gold certified Assisted Living community at The Views of Marion, Iowa is another of his accomplishments. These projects demonstrate his close collaboration with visionary clients to create inspiring settings that complement a sponsor’s operational and cultural philosophy within these highly regulated building types.
He works diligently to promote non-institutional, resident focused environments for living through design, education, and policy advocacy and generously shares his expertise through frequent regional & national initiatives. He currently serves as co-chair of the Facility Guidelines Institute Revision Committee Residential Document Group where he has contributed to the evolution of the document since 1998.
Gaius was recognized as the 2025 Center for Health Design Changemaker Award recipient for his enduring impact on innovation and regulatory reform in the design of healthy environments for aging.
Presentation :
Main Speaker Session
18: FGI Residential Settings: Meeting and Exceeding Minimum Code Requirements
The 2026 FGI Code for Planning and Design of Residential Care and Support Settings introduces important revisions affecting resident rooms, dining environments, functional programming, building systems, and care delivery models. While code requirements establish minimum standards for health, safety, and welfare, successful projects increasingly require planning beyond minimum compliance. This session examines several of the most significant revisions within the 2026 code, including the new requirement for 90% single-occupancy resident rooms, updated dining space standards, and the introduction of setting typologies through the Functional Program. Presenters will explore the evidence, stakeholder perspectives, and decision-making processes that informed these changes, providing attendees with insight into how minimum standards are established and refined. Additional discussion will highlight new electrical planning tables and HVAC Level 1 and Level 2 designations that improve usability and accessibility of the code document. Through real-world examples and lessons learned from the code development process, attendees will gain practical strategies for leveraging evidence, stakeholder engagement, and future-focused planning to create residential settings that not only comply with code requirements but also anticipate evolving consumer expectations and operational needs. Learning Objectives: 1.Explain the evidence, stakeholder input, and consensus-building processes used to establish minimum requirements within the 2026 FGI Residential Code. 2.Evaluate the rationale behind major code revisions, including requirements for single-occupancy resident rooms, dining environments, and setting typologies, and their implications for resident outcomes, operations, and future market competitiveness. 3.Apply new planning and building systems tools, including functional program typologies, electrical planning tables, and HVAC Level 1 and Level 2 designations, to improve project efficiency and code usability. 4.Identify opportunities to use evidence-based design, consumer expectations, and operational considerations to exceed minimum code requirements and create higher-performing residential care environments.
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