A campus for everyone
In the local service center, all users and generations come together. Child caregivers can wait here in a pleasant manner, residents can enjoy coffee or a meal, and gather with each other and visitors.
The Veerle Castle, located on the campus, becomes clearly visible again. The park zone surrounding it extends throughout the entire site and is accessible to everyone, with a passage under the building connecting the east and west sides. This allows residents from Veerle and the surrounding areas to easily access the campus and the LSC, bringing liveliness to De Winde.
Small-scale residential groups with identifiable housing
The three clusters of 32 residents in the RCC are located around an accessible courtyard, with each cluster divided into smaller residential groups of 16, each with its own entrance. On the upper floor, residents have access to an outdoor area through two terraces. The individual dwellings are identifiable, with bay windows on the exterior and alcoves inside housing two studios each. Each dwelling has its own distinctive colored front door and space for a personal object. All dwellings have a view of greenery. The layout allows staff and residents to move around freely, without any dead-end corridors. The corridors are considered living spaces as well, sometimes narrower, sometimes wider, with a communal area near the courtyard, each with its own character, or merging into a living or dining area.
The individual studios are spacious enough and have separate living/sitting and sleeping areas, both with ample daylight and views. Depending on the care needs, the layout can be switched to a nursing setup by using the storage unit as a wall-mounted cabinet instead of a room divider. Self-regulation and choices are central to the design.
Living with Assistance
On average, someone lives in an assisted living apartment for 10 years or longer. Creating a sense of “home” is perhaps most evident for these residents. The assisted living apartments have their own central entrance area with a lift that directly connects to the local service center. A second connection is formed by the void on the first and second floors, where residents can interact with each other or take a moment to rest in the corridor. From the terraces and balconies of the assisted living apartments, there is always a view of the square and everything happening there. The ventilation systems are all integrated within the building’s volume, allowing the roofs to be free from technical equipment.
