With De Meijert Oost, Mijdrecht gains a caring urban ensemble where living, healthcare and community come together in a natural and integrated way. The building accommodates a health centre, assisted living apartments and the ‘Living with the Family’ residential concept. Each of these three components has its own identity, yet together they form a coherent whole, unified by calm, ton-sur-ton architecture that harmonizes with the green surroundings of De Meijert.
The design is composed of clear volumes and a consistent formal language. The architecture deliberately relates to the scale and materiality of its context. Brickwork serves as the primary material, with subtle variations in texture and tone to give each part its own character. The façades display a rhythmic pattern of window openings that reveal the structural grid, while wooden details and green window frames add a warm, natural accent. On the end façades, carefully crafted panels of scored brickwork anchor the corners and refine the building masses into expressive elevations.
Inside, the focus is on orientation, clarity and social connection. A generous living gallery forms a key spatial element, a place where residents can meet and where personal touches can be added near each front door. The dwellings are designed with dual-aspect layouts, allowing light, views and air to flow through the building. Shared spaces are positioned visibly along the galleries, encouraging informal encounters and fostering a sense of familiarity and belonging.
In its urban setting, the design seeks a balance between building and landscape. The building volumes follow the contours of the zoning plan, leaving room for green edges and open sightlines. Entrances open towards the surroundings, ensuring that the complex is visually and physically connected to the park and the neighbourhood. Parking and bicycle storage are carefully integrated and kept out of sight, preserving the continuity of the green environment.
De Meijert-Oost is not conceived as an iconic landmark but as a thoughtfully composed part of Mijdrecht. Its strength lies in the precision of the everyday: in the proportion of brick to window, in the tactile quality of the façade, and in the way residents can see one another without intruding. The building aspires to the quiet authenticity of a place that feels as if it has always been there: modest, sustainable and inherently social.
