Photographer: Nick Claeskens/ @nickclaeskens Photographer: Lucid/ @lucid. lucid
From the Designer: “Boekenberg Castle, a listed monolith set within a historic landscape, was developed in the 18th century by designer Jan Pieter van Baurscheit in the French classicist rococo style. Initially, it functioned as a ‘enjoyment garden,’ a nation retreat where wealthy city dwellers could relax. The playful design of the rococo goes together with a strictly arranged structure, proportion, and carefully prepared sight lines. The original layout was created along unique axes, with the primary public spaces located on the ground flooring and oriented towards the garden. The central axis ran all the way through the castle premises: from the entrance gate, through the main hall, and out towards the pond in the park beyond.
“Throughout the years, the castle has experienced an eventful history marked by altering functions, renovations, decay, and neglect. Throughout recent rest0ration and remodelling works, a fire broke out, totally ruining the staircase, attic, and roofing. The water utilized to snuff out the fire also caused considerable damage to other parts of the building. Through an expediency research study, the customer, Symbiosi, aimed to offer this exceptional location a meaningful brand-new function. Their aspiration was to check out brand-new kinds of housing while providing a counterweight to standard home advancement, which significantly reserves distinct areas for the ‘pleased couple of.’ The result: the transformation of the Boekenberg Castle into a cohousing job for seniors. The job, developed by a team of designers from Rooilijn, Polygoon, and Steenmeijer, offers area for nine compact property units, completed by shared centers such as a cooking area, communal area, guest space, care space, and laundry room. By living together, sharing time and space, and dedicating to each other, middle-aged and senior homeowners produce a care hold-up– an option to standard types of residential care. Furthermore, the job likewise welcomes a community-oriented role, for instance through reading clubs or book cafés that remember the literary beauty salons of earlier times. In this way, the original purpose of the castle as a place of rest and satisfaction ends up being when again tangible, while likewise opening to a wider public.
“Although the interior has actually undergone significant changes for many years, key elements of 18th-century domestic culture stay noticeable: social cohesion, consistency, hierarchy, and percentage. The repair concentrated on repairing the original structure: later on disruptive additions were gotten rid of, and authentic aspects were brought back into view. The brand-new layout respects the heritage value: common areas lie on the ground flooring along the central axis, while the domestic units nestle within the existing spatial qualities. New additions are conceived as modern analyses of classical elements. For instance, the brought back facades of the building extension refer to their original structure and percentages, and the new steel staircase, with its pastel green color, normal of rococo, evokes the elegance of earlier days.
“The castle’s place within a public park makes the transition between public and personal spaces an essential consideration. For this factor, the private domestic units are mostly found on the upper floorings, while collective functions occupy the ground flooring, making them visible and quickly accessible to the area. An alternative type for living the 2nd half of life needs an ingenious method: citizens maintain their autonomy and personal privacy, while likewise enjoying opportunities for social connection and care assistance. Similar to other co-housing projects, the secret is to strike a balance in between common interaction and personal space. A separate entrance through the extension enables residents to move around discreetly, without crossing common areas, and the circulation locations on the upper floors are light and roomy, supplying areas for both chance encounters and quiet moments.
“The choice was made to provide a variety of living arrangements with studios and one-bedroom units suitable for a couple of people. Since locals benefit from shared spaces, the private systems stay compact, keeping the task economical and inclusive. Both personal and shared areas are developed for aging in location with step-free access, an entry ramp, and well-planned hygienic centers. The compact cooking areas allow residents to function individually without being required to share meals. Substantial attention was also given to producing a warm environment through the choice of materials, colors and percentages. The style was developed in partnership with the future locals. Their input helped refine the plans and reinforced support for the job.