04135 (11).jpg

THE DESIGN

We wanted to position the buildings in such a way that various interesting open spaces and exciting perspectives were created. The open spaces, the gardens are all different, one is more closed, the other more open. On the outskirts of the area the buildings are lower, in order to fit in with the village-like character of the surroundings. The buildings are situated ‘in the grassland’ as it were, except on the side of the main road where we have taken the building line into consideration in order to fit in with the character of the street. The layout of the curved facade that indicates the important healthcare centre is also small-scale and welcoming. The layout of the healthcare centre itself is more large-scale and the structure more dramatic, after all, this is the most important building. In this way we create contrasts on an urban development level that have also been carried through in the architectural picture. The blocks of houses each have their own appearance according to the surroundings they face. A ‘square facade’, a ‘street facade’ and a ‘garden facade’. The small-scale character is reflected in the splitting up of the blocks of houses on the road side.

Most noticeable is the healthcare centre, which is in actual fact a composition of two shapes that merge.

One enters the inner world from the outside through a kind of tunnel. This is layered and allows the visitor to enter the open space from a sheltered area. The internal structure has been arranged around an inner court, which again is an open space with its own characteristics. From this area it is possible to look up to where the houses of the various care groups, the apartments and the winter garden are. On the ground floor the focus is on the grand café and other places in which to meet. From the floors, the balcony provides a relation with the inner court. The inner court is the heart of the complex, not only in a spatial sense but also in a functional one. This is where everything happens; a welcoming area where people can meet one another. The further away one goes from the heart, the quieter it is.