Working together with short lines and open doors

Building for a changing healthcare landscape

Construction company Stout and sister companies Herkon and Lagendijk & Stout, all part of the Van Herk Groep, are increasingly active in care-related projects. They do so independently or in mutual cooperation, but always from a common mission: People for Buildings. The well-being of the (future) residents and users of the buildings is paramount in this. Building and development is also done with a flat organization and an open-door policy, with much attention to sustainable solutions.

People for Buildings was born as a concept ten years ago. "In fact, it is a reflection of what our organizations already stood for," says Jan Korevaar, Commercial Director of Stout Construction Company. "Every day we work, together with various stakeholders, to create buildings that must first and foremost provide value to the people who will use them. By working together with sister companies Herkon for development and Lagendijk & Stout for smaller projects, renovations and maintenance, we can jointly provide appropriate solutions and services."

Changing healthcare landscape 

This manifests itself particularly in the area of healthcare. Korevaar: "Our field of work is broad and diverse, but healthcare is a separate specialty in which we have become increasingly active. An important reason is the changing care landscape. Living independently for longer, the increasing aging population and, in its wake, the sharp increase in dementia and other chronic conditions, the rise of specialized clinics and the blurring of boundaries between first, second and third-line care: these are all developments of the last twenty years. That also means many changes in healthcare real estate, and that's where our focus lies."

Anderhalfline care

A typical recent development is the emergence of clinics offering half-and-half care. Korevaar: "We now have a number of such projects in our portfolio where accessible GP care and medical specialist care come together. For example, we recently built the Zorglinie health center in the Hoog-Dalem neighborhood of Gorinchem, complete with a pharmacy, outpatient clinic, dental practice and obstetrical services. With colleagues from Lagendijk & Stout, we recently transformed an existing building in Rhoon into a beautiful multifunctional health center. There again you notice that our flat organization with open doors, also for our clients, leads to great results."

Aging

Aging brings dementia and leads to significant real estate challenges. "This is a major task that we have been working on for many years," Korevaar said. "We have been building for this target group for a long time and that will certainly not diminish. We do this not only with the companies in our group, but also in cooperation with developers such as AIG Care & Living. We are well established and can smoothly take care of the realization phase here as well." 

Another consequence of the aging population is the increasing need for hospices. "Last year, Bouwonderneming Stout built Hospice Calando in Middelharnis at a beautiful location, which meets the rapidly growing admission capacity on the islands of Zuid-Holland. This location can also, and this is special, provide palliative care for residents with dementia and other behavioral problems. In Spijkenisse, Lagendijk & Stout built a smaller hospice commissioned by Stichting de Waterlelie." 

Laboratory, ambulance and courts

Other examples of recent healthcare-related construction projects include a laboratory in Ridderkerk and several accommodations for ambulance services. Korevaar: "In Ridderkerk, Lagendijk & Stout made its calling card by building a specialist laboratory in an existing shell for chemical analysis, microbiological analysis and DNA analysis, among other things. We are now involved as a developer in the development of a bio-based building for the ambulance service in Zwijndrecht. We have great ambition to engage more intensively in sustainable processes. We already do that in housing construction and we want to apply that knowledge more in healthcare as well. In that respect, our residential programs with courtyard homes fit nicely under the heading of social sustainability. A wonderful example is the Hof van Langerak in Alblasserwaard. Here, Herkon is developing a courtyard with thirteen homes for senior citizens in which the residents agree in a social contract how they will live together. This is about mutual involvement, cohesion, running errands for each other and other informal care. Many older people live crookedly, in a house that is far too big, mainly because there is a screeching lack of good alternatives. In a small village like Langerak, the transition will be easier than in Nieuwegein, where we are also working. But I think this is a good and important initiative. And here, too, we are building first and foremost for people."