CARE IN OWN HANDS

Type: Woning renovatie stadswoning
Locatie: Leuven
Status: completed 2020
Photographer: Peter-Willem Vermeersch

The young dynamic client wants to take her care into her own hands with the renovation of this house. The advantage of a central urban location comes with the challenges of a dwelling of 5,5 m wide and with multiple levels between the street, the house and the garden. She will inhabit the ground floor and first floor. The second floor will house a care-giver.

An elevator, large enough for her wheelchair, connects all floor levels. Still all crucial functionality is organized on the ground floor in a core dwelling (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and dining room), in case of failing technology. In order to provide all this functionality on the compact ground floor, a mockup scale 1:1 has been made to test wheelchair maneuverability at all crucial places. It’s these movements that have led to the dynamic character of the ground floor design. A wall, with folds as origami, provides space at the rhythm of mobility.

The exercise in compacting on the ground floor has opened up ample free space on the first floor for working, living and meeting visitors.

De user/expertise of the client has played a central role. The dwelling can therefor be visited as a model dwelling to demonstrate the collaboration between architect and user/expert. More information can be obtained through Fixability.