THE HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT AS A LANDSCAPE
VanThuisUit | Simeonshof Boxtel | Healtcare Group Elde Maasduinen
Place:
Boxtel
Year:
2026
Project:
With the winning competition design for VanThuisUit in Simeonshof Boxtel, commissioned by Zorggroep Elde Maasduinen, M+R explores how a care-related environment can be transformed into a spatial continuum centered on well-being, autonomy, and hospitality. The starting point is not just the care program, but also the spatial experience.
The concept is inspired by the Dommel, the river that winds through Boxtel and shapes the landscape. That meandering movement is translated into an interior that is not composed of separate functions, but of “banks” along a single continuous spatial flow. The Day and Activity Center, knowledge kiosk, living room, and guest apartments flow seamlessly into one another. The routing is not a corridor, but a gradual transition.
Description:
A defining feature of the design is the sculptural wooden slatted walls that run through the building like a gentle backbone. They guide movement, filter sight and sound, and create landmarks without introducing hard divisions. This creates an environment that offers tranquility and prevents sensory overload—essential in a context where vulnerability is a factor.
The color and material palette is drawn from the Dommel landscape: shades of sand, muted green, and soft blue. The application is subtle and supportive, used, among other things, for orientation and to differentiate between spaces. Natural materials, textiles, and acoustic interventions reinforce the sense of comfort and security.
The two guest apartments are conceived as “side arms” of the stream: places where the pace slows down. Here, a deliberate departure is made from a “care aesthetic.” Instead, a hotel-like atmosphere has been chosen, featuring warm wood tones, dimmable lighting, and a homey scale.
The plan also seeks connection on an urban planning level. The entrance serves as a link between the building and the neighborhood. The information kiosk explicitly positions VanThuisUit as part of the local network, not as a standalone care facility.
With this design, M+R is committed to a shift from care architecture to environmental architecture: an approach in which space does not merely facilitate, but gives meaning. Not an institution, but a landscape in which daily life can continue to meander.
Phase 1 of the care facility was opened on March 2, 2026, by Miranda de Vries, Chair of the Board of Directors, and Alderman Wim van der Zanden.
