Samenvatting

For the elderly a major decline in health often entails a dramatic shift in living conditions. One of the harshest aspects is the loss of social context. Based on experiences in her own family, the designer sets out to redefine the puzzle of health, care and social context. By conceiving the needs in terms of vicinity and community, a neighborhood-based program is drawn up centered around a cluster of living and care units, functioning as a shared space at different scales. The design for a pilot makes use of a typical suburban neighborhood, the Kamp in Nijmegen, with one family home around a central green area with schools and some services. The schools, becoming vacant, can be converted and their sites can be redesigned with complementary structures around courts. In this pilot the converted school has short and long stay facilities around a so-called social hallway, which also acts as a meeting place and entry to a courtyard with gardens surrounded by a gallery serving individual housing. Other entryways connect the ensemble to the surrounding streets and paths, in a network serving the larger neighborhood. Different target groups can now tie in for living, care or social activities, in a varied range of vicinity and timespan. The importance of the social context is reflected in the architectural treatment of the building elements and spaces, not only by their use and fitted design, but also by agreeing with the adjoining houses and by improving the surrounding public space.