Long may we live!
Collective housing
The oldest form of collective housing for older people is the almshouse. In many towns from the 13th century on, almshouses were built for older people and other vulnerable members of society such as widows and unmarried people.
Most were founded by the church, the city council or wealthy citizens. Residents had their own rooms and shared communal facilities such as the kitchen, dining rom and washrooms. In the 20th century, collective housing for older people took various forms with different names: retirement homes, care homes and rest homes among them.
The essence of this type of provision is the combination of accommodation and care. The homes were intended for older people capable of living relatively independently but who required a limited amount of home help or care. Prior to the Second World War, many of these facilities were differentiated in terms of faith, social class, gender and profession, and were funded by these particular groups. After the war, with the advent of the welfare state and the introduction, in 1956, of the state pension (Algemene Ouderdomswet), care for older people became a spearhead of the new social policy. It was the beginning of a construction explosion in which the combination of accommodation and care developed into a distinct typology. In this period, we see the emergence of complexes for the elderly consisting of studios and one-bedroom apartments, a nursing home, a wing for resident personnel and sometimes also a small hospital.
In these types of home, the relationship between private space (the resident’s own accommodation) and communal spaces (such as dining and recreation areas) varied, reflecting changing perspectives on social contact, privacy and economic viability. Recently, stricter need assessments have resulted in the closure of many care homes. In some cases, the individual rooms have been converted and sold as apartments for older people. There are also initiatives in which former care homes have been converted into community healthcare centres that can also be used by older people living independently.
Karthuizerhof (1650) D. Stalpaert
In the sixteenth century, the elderly lived independently for as long as possible. It was not common for them to move in...
➝ Read moreFontainehofje (1913) Van Gendt brothers
The Fontainehofje is an early example of a particular initiative in housing for the elderly. In 1753, the wealthy Amster...
➝ Read moreHilversum competition (1914) B. van de Lecq
This competition for a retirement home dates from 1914 and was organised by a charity that wished to build a 'Care Home ...
➝ Read moreHilversum competition (1914) D. Meintema
Architect Doeke Meintema was the winner of the competition held in 1914 to design a retirement home in Hilversum. In thi...
➝ Read moreHome for retired sailors (1936) C. Elffers
The elderly were segregated not only by age but also on the basis religion, social class, gender and profession. This ho...
➝ Read moreHomes for the elderly in South Amsterdam (1936) T. J. Lammers
An example of housing for independent pensioners was built in the 1930s as part of the 'General Expansion Plan' in the s...
➝ Read moreDe Rusthoeve (1936) W. Bruin
The retirement homes designed in the 1930s were not all restricted to people of a particular faith. There were also home...
➝ Read moreAlmshouses under the Tower (1941) F.A. Eschauzier
Directly after the outbreak of the Second World War and the bombing of Middelburg, plans were made to rehouse the popula...
➝ Read moreKarenhuizen (1916) J. Duiker and B. Bijvoet
In 1916 the Association for Public Housing in Alkmaar (VVA) organised a competition to design housing for elderly men an...
➝ Read morePossibilities for Housing the Elderly (1948) H.G. van Beusekom
Hendrik Gerrit van Beusekom was a specialist in public housing and wrote extensively on housing for the elderly, includi...
➝ Read moreRozenoord rest home (1947) J.P. Kloos
After the war, this retirement home was expanded by the Stichting Protestants Tehuis in Sluis. At that time, Dutch socie...
➝ Read moreDe Klokkenbelt (1952) A. Komter
'De Klokkenbelt' is one of the first retirement homes of this scale built after the Second World War. Architect Auke Kom...
➝ Read moreWillem Dreeshuis (1957) J.A. Snellebrand, G.W. Tuynman
In 1957 the social democratic daily newspaper Het Vrije Volk rand a headline that read: 'Willem Dreeshuis good example o...
➝ Read moreDe Heemhaven (1968) J.P. Kloos
Large numbers of 'skyscrapers' arose in the Netherlands in the 1960s and 1970s. The arrival of the lift made it possible...
➝ Read moreBorgstede (1957-1974) W. Wissing
Willem Wissing designed Borgstede as part of the expansion plan for Barendrecht-Noord. It was commissioned by the Nederl...
➝ Read moreOsdorperhof (1962) J.W.H.C. Pot and J.F. Pot-Keegstra
Osdorperhof was built in the 1960s in Osdorp, in the west of Amsterdam and was commissioned by the Reformed Foundation f...
➝ Read moreDelfshove (1986) Van den Broek en Bakema, J. Boot
Delfshove residential care centre, designed by architects Van den Broek & Bakema, was built in Delft in the 1970s. Socia...
➝ Read moreDe Gooyer (1978) – Abma, Hazewinkel, Dirks & De Haan
The 1970s witnessed a revaluation of the historical urban fabric. Demolition of older parts of the city came to a halt a...
➝ Read moreCompetition for ‘Almshouses for the 21st century’ (1990) A. Hosper
In 1990, to celebrate the 750th anniversary of the city of Haarlem - the 'city of almshouses', a competition was organis...
➝ Read moreDe Zonnetrap (1970) E. Hartsuyker, L. Hartsuyker-Curjel
De Zonnetrap in Rotterdam is like a city in microcosm. The design by Enrico and Lucia Hartsuyker won a limited competiti...
➝ Read morePrescriptions and Recommendations (1966) Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning
In 1965, the introduction of the Wet op de Bejaardenoorden made it possible to build retirement homes with state subsidi...
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