Villa Landhuis and the De Korenbloem care campus

Architecture studio Jan Vermeulen, in collaboration with Tom Thys Architecten, both based in Brussels, has completed the main part of an innovative care campus in Kortrijk, West Flanders. Sergison Bates Architects from London was the third office involved in the overall project. It had already completed the first construction phase of the facility two years previously. The two construction phases each include a historic villa and an adjoining new building.

Official starting point

Back in 2012, the Flemish government decided to build an innovative care infrastructure. Five interdisciplinary design teams were selected in a competition to design care models for the future. The team from Studio Jan Vermeulen, Tom Thys Architecten and Sergison Bates Architects was appointed for the De Care Campus De Korenbloem project. They were responsible for planning a pilot project in which new models of collective living for residents in need of care were to be tested and strategies developed to support their independence. Integration into the existing neighborhood was another topic. The specific client for the care campus was the Vereniging zonder winstoogmerk (VZW) De Korenbloem. This is a non-profit organization that works with planners and designers to develop overall concepts for various forms of care and housing.

Master plan

The master plan for De Care Campus De Korenbloem creates a care network that strengthens the relationship with the neighborhood. Ninety new residential units and additional social and neighborhood services were planned to accommodate two building ensembles. Both terrains each had a historic villa. Day care is now offered in these buildings. The new building sections accommodate residential units and communal rooms. The existing buildings and the new buildings were to form a cluster with its own identity. Studio Jan Vermeulen developed the ensemble of buildings around Villa Landhuis in the park in collaboration with Tom Thys Architects, while Sergison Bates Architects designed the project around Villa Portiek at the nearby village church of Kortrijk.

Historic Villa Landhuis

Old and new meet on the park side. This view shows the historic structure of the property and its adaptation into the new building. Once the residence of the founder of VZW De Korenbloem, the villa is now used as an anchor point with communal facilities on the campus. It was built in 1860 by Bruneel de Montpelier in the neoclassical style. Over the course of its history, there have been conversions, extensions and gutting. The architects and the design team rediscovered spacious and prestigious rooms that were once the backdrop for aristocratic family life. Following the example of Palladio and his villas, the relationships between the rooms were worked out along the two main axes of the villa and opened up to the surrounding landscape. The rooms were designed as “small worlds”. They are connected, but all have their own individual atmosphere. They offer their vulnerable residents a compact, daily living environment.

New neighbor of Villa Landhuis

The architectural link between Villa Landhuis and the new building is a two-storey garden space. The new three-storey building consists of four stepped structures. They are based on the scale of the villa and mediate between the street and the landscaped garden. The façade of the new building is inspired by the classicist vertical structure of Villa Landhuis. Elements of classic villa and garden house structures such as balconies, pergolas, canopies and garden rooms are characteristic. They create a bridge to history. Concrete stands out as a modern building material. It is visible in the canopies and terraces, which give the residents a sheltered view of the garden landscape. The columns of the balconies facing the park are delicate and rhythmic. It is reminiscent of Andrea Palladio and his ideas on villa construction.

Living and living in community

The parcelling of the residential units and the dimensioning of the communal areas is the result of the needs assessment. The residential units are small, the communal areas more open and larger. There are methods to make the progression of dementia more bearable. These include strengthening the relationship of those affected to objects, routines and the environment. By reducing the living environment to “smaller worlds”, the patient is supported in recognizing familiar things. Accordingly, the project combines the small scale and intimacy of living with efficient spatial solutions that are needed in the daily operation of care infrastructures. The ensemble of buildings around Villa Landhuis thus becomes a network of small living spaces in which residents can move freely in a protected and supervised environment. The focus is on their individual or communal living needs. This enables them to live in a physically and mentally healthier way than in traditional institutions.

Other projects in Flanders: In Ghent, TRANS Architects converted the premises of the Ryhove workshops for disabled people. There is also an elementary school by Felt Architects in the Belgian village of Zarren, which puts a whole new spin on the highly acclaimed contemporary architecture of Flanders.