New home for the elderly in Tilburg

Older residents with heavy care needs in Tilburg West are getting a new home with the Zandstaete residential center of elderly care organization De Wever. The old De Kievitshorst complex has been demolished to make way for a beautiful, future-proof replacement. Within a year, this complex, which will feel like a warm coat to the residents, will be completed.

For many years De Kievitshorst was a familiar factor in the Het Zand neighborhood. With the new Zandstaete location, De Wever wants to strengthen the connection with the neighborhood even further. The neighborhood will be an important part of living and working together at Zandstaete. The 120 apartments, 33 assisted living apartments and 12 hospice apartments will be ready no later than the first quarter of 2025 and promise to become a pleasant place to live.

Bouwman Swinkels Architects picked up the sketch role to put on paper a replacement for the old residential care center. The firm is more than at home in translating the client's vision into a recognizable design. That's what happened for the new Zandstaete building, says architect Jep Swinkels. "We first listened carefully to the underlying philosophy of client De Wever. Freedom is one of the key words in it. The residents must be able to find their own place in the complex without constraint, in line with their needs at any time."

That vision is reflected in the layout of the main building. "The private apartments are located on the floors, while on the first floor are the common areas. Here residents of Zandstaete, as well as other residents of the 't Zand neighborhood, can meet and organize activities."

The strength of Zandstaete is connection. All spaces in the main building are linked together and have an open character. This makes all residents and visitors feel immediately welcome. In the adjacent hospice De Zandsporen a different atmosphere has been chosen. "This is where people spend the last days of their lives," says Swinkels. "There is a need for peace and privacy. You often see hospices in quiet places near nature for that reason."

Although hospice De Zandsporen is located in a residential neighborhood, Westerpark and Wandelbos are also nearby. "For family and friends, it's nice that the hospice is in the middle of the neighborhood. That makes it a lot easier to visit. And by constructing secure enclosed courtyard gardens, we create private quiet spaces, which is what the residents need."

The new design dynamically uses the surrounding green space. "The building will have as large an experiential garden as possible," Swinkels says. "The planting has been selected to do justice to each season, from fresh blossoms in the spring and flowery periods in the summer to powerful autumn colors in the fall. Multiple terraces and paths open up this courtyard garden, stimulating residents' senses in as many ways as possible."