Daan Kok
Urban Architecture
Une Centre de Vitalité: An interpretation of healthcare, sports and heritage
In light of the current discussion in architecture regarding healthcare, we often disregard the qualities of ‘old-fashioned’ healthcare buildings.
In the neighbourhood of Droixhe, Liège, this is no different. The site used to be inhabited by a thriving healthcare residence named ‘Les Murlais’; however, its thoughtless demolition erased not just the physical entity but also a caring architectural gesture that once shaped lives. The scar is still visible as the concrete pit was all that remained.
‘Une Centre de Vitalité’ is a design proposal seeking to redeem the qualities of ‘Les Murlais’ by addressing and implementing patient-based design with an ecological approach regarding the concrete pit as a layer of the site that should be respected. The design provides flexible spaces for the currently neglected healthcare practices of the neighbourhood and spaces for physical activities and sports. A healthcare building in a residential area should not be a fenced-off place for illness but a place to regain strength and come together. The design proposes a nature-inclusive building with a focus on biobased materials and forward-striving climate concepts.