Green design now comes in a new shade – gray.

Senior-living companies are turning to environmentally minded architects, designers and contractors to build retirement communities that will consume less energy, conserve water, improve indoor air quality, preserve the natural habitat and rely on recycled materials.

"Saving the planet may be the next big trend in retirement living," said Leslie Moldow, who heads the American Institute of Architects' Design for Aging Committee.

Green design is catching on, she said, because it offers something for everyone – long-term financial savings for the owners, a healthier home for the residents and a socially responsible marketing pitch that appeals to the baby boomers helping their aging parents decide where to live.

And Dallas-based Senior Quality Lifestyles Corp. is playing a leading role in the graying of the green design movement. The nonprofit organization is best-known for such upscale retirement communities as the Edgemere in Dallas, the Buckingham in Houston and the Querencia at Barton Creek in Austin.

"Being green doesn't necessarily mean you have to sacrifice," said Bernie Francis, who is a member of the organization's board of directors. "Our commitment to green practices fits nicely with our overall objective of delivering high-quality retirement living. What we save on utility bills, for example, we can use to improve residents' care."

Sustainable design consists of small initiatives that seem inconsequential on their own but add up to substantial energy savings, said Burt Derr, vice president of development services for Greystone Communities of Irving, the developer of Senior Quality Lifestyles' communities.

Going green has been a learning experience for Senior Quality Lifestyles as it tries out new energy-saving ideas with each retirement community it opens.

The Stayton at Museum Way, under development in Fort Worth's cultural district, will be the greenest of the organization's projects so far, Mr. Francis said.

The Stayton's environmentally sensitive design began with the decision to build three midrise towers on a 2.5-acre site that had been a manufacturing plant.

It's an efficient use of land that was once contaminated but has been cleaned up, said David Dillard, president of CSD Architects, the project's architectural firm.

The building will be equipped with a highly efficient heating and air-conditioning system, low-flow water fixtures and toilets, top energy-rated appliances, compact fluorescent lights, motion sensors that control lighting and window shades that automatically adjust to the sunlight.

The Stayton's resortlike interior has also been designed with green principles in mind, said Lea von Kaenel, a partner with studioSIX5, an interior design firm in Austin.

Some flooring and carpeting will be made of natural materials such as bamboo and wool. Environmentally friendly paints low in fumes will be used. And furnishings produced in Texas will be purchased where possible to reduce trucking.

"Not all seniors know green design when they see it, but it's important to them," Ms. von Kaenel said. "When I sit down with prospective residents to find out what they would like in their community, many ask whether it will be green."

Outside the Stayton, landscapers will put in drought-resistant plants and native grasses to minimize watering. The developer may also install solar panels on the roof to heat water for indoor use.

"The Stayton will be a smart collection of sustainable design features," Mr. Dillard said. "It will be a project that others in the senior-living field will want to visit and imitate."