Utility Our utility building system has been developed to be used in both large and small spaces
A flexible nursing and care home for visually impaired seniors
The completion of a new care complex enabled 48 clients to move from outdated care facilities into a welcoming home. A place where they can live with the assistance, attention and care they need.
Henriëtte van Heemstra House
A new welcoming home, built in a heartbeat
On the outskirts of Ermelo, the Bartimeus Foundation owns a number of residential facilities in the green area of ‘Parc Viventra’: service flats, small-scale residential units and a nursing home. The latter was extremely outdated and could no longer meet the needs and requirements of its residents. For this reason, Bartimeus commissioned a new housing facility for 48 visually impaired seniors at the end of 2017. For a period of at least 12 years.
One year from design to completion
After a total period of 13 months, we were able to deliver the Henriëtte van Heemstra House in February 2019. The pace was right on target, which is, after all, the strength of flexible solutions. The two-storey residential complex with a total of 40 studio flats is divided into six residential groups. Each has a shared dining room and living room. This creates the cosy feeling of home and encourages socialising. Of course, it is always possible to retreat to the studio flats. These are each equipped with a sitting room, bedroom and bathroom. A total of eight self-contained flats complete the picture.
“The best way to understand is to step into the shoes of the target audience. So we visited the meeting room, tried to look through the lenses of the residents and used that experience to create the final building. ’’
Koen,
Maximum independence and autonomy
Our own Lamber Broeders took care of the design, with a focus on physical and visual accessibility. For example, the lighting was modified and there are a lot of contrasting colours in addition to tactile and acoustic reference points. The stairs and lifts have also been designed to be easy to find and use. All this ensures that residents can independently find their way around the building. Everything from the entrance door to the sanitary facilities, control buttons and switches.
Just like everyday life
The Henriëtte van Heemstra House also offers several facilities that are part of ‘everyday life’, such as a hairdresser and beautician. A special experience room has also been set up to stimulate the other senses. For example, there is a vibroacoustic water bed and a tactile wall with sound.
From the outside, there is little difference between modular buildings and traditional structures. In fact, it is actually impossible to distinguish between the appearance of modular flexible housing and traditional real estate. More and more architects are approaching VDL De Meeuw about flexible housing developments. Flexible housing and traditional real estate have to comply with the same requirements. In other words, both comply with the Dutch Environment Buildings Decree (Bbl).
The modules that come together to form the final building are produced in a controlled environment. This ensures a safe working environment with a high level of control over quality and minimal impact on the production process due to weather. This in turn prevents delays and failure costs, and increases control over the overall project. Speed and quality go hand in hand here.
After production, the modules are transported to the site. Once on site, these modules are connected to each other, to the electricity grid, to the sewerage, and so on, and the interior is finished according to the specifications agreed upon. At that point, the building is then commissioned and modified in the future according to any changing requirements.
Brochure
Flexible housing, always the space you need
Download the brochure here.
"*" indicates required fields
