A place where people care about each other. A new dwelling block where needy people live together in a collective condition. This focuses on an inclusive and accessible city where people feel welcome and accepted.
There is a group about which we don’t care. Expected is that this group would grow in the coming decades. The target group consists of people who are reaching the age of 70 and retire. Getting old brings complications towards…
TARGET GROUPA place where people care about each other. A new dwelling block where needy people live together in a collective condition. This focuses on an inclusive and accessible city where people feel welcome and accepted.
There is a group about which we don’t care. Expected is that this group would grow in the coming decades. The target group consists of people who are reaching the age of 70 and retire. Getting old brings complications towards daily life: isolation from society and therefore more loneliness, less mobile and therefore needier for help, more susceptible to injuries or illness. This is a risk group. Formerly those people went to a care home. Due to various reasons, politic and economic, this service disappeared (Bogaards, 2014). From that point government expect that society would take care of elderly in order to let them live longer at home.
NEEDSIn general the target group has to visit the general practitioner often (>80%). Domestic help is very important, and services for home care are low. There are almost no activities or meal services.
Thus, the focus is on people who fall between two stools. This target group is needy for help but also vital enough (and eager) to live independently. Therefore those people wouldn’t get accepted anymore in a care institution. The need for domestic help and home care is evident, and needs to be facilitated. Care needs to be accessible, for example: easy for a general practitioner, physiotherapist or informal carers. The miss of activities and meal services could be overcome by incorporating collective spaces into the design: places where people could meet, or see family and relatives.
Bogaards, E. (2014, juni 5). Help! Het verzorgingshuis verdwijnt. Retrieved from plusonline: https://www.plusonline.nl/geld-recht/help-het-verzorgingshuis-verdwijnt
Lees meerexisting and new context
The project is located at Herenplaats, Meent, intersecting with Pannekoekstraat and Botersloot. This is an exciting place in the heart of the city.
This spot is chosen because research showed that elderly are very lonely in the city centre (Centrum and Noord). At the location there is a small pavilion, build in the 50’s and designed by Harry Nefkens. The pavilion is loved by people and is an real example of the Wederopbouwarchitectuur.
floor plans showing the diversity of the structure
section showing the incorporation of the pavilion, the new lowered square with the theatre stair/ramp, and new building block with two atria
facade showing the overall construction, open and closed facade and balconies around in a wide variety
The design of the building benefits from the fact that there is already a bold statement at the site. Starting with an octagon grid, surrounded by triangles and pentagons the structure became defined. Due to this strong structure the architecture can be very independent and extravagant. Every floor is different and so is the facade. The structure gives freedom in placing dwellings, communal spaces and outside spaces.
The pavilion will stay where it is and becomes integrated within the design. It acts as an entrance towards a new lowered square, which is enriched with a stair and slope and results in an amphitheater feeling. This is the central place where people meet each other and where the elderly can integrate back into society.
communal spaces provided with kitchens (e.g.) are located at the facade to ensure daylight and to keep connection with the city
individual dwellings are comfy and luxurious in terms of volume, space and views to the city
existing pavilion invites and encourages people to go further into the new building
street perspective
