In the outskirts of the municipality of Rhenen, on the spot where Levendael Castle was once located, stands a remarkably old lime tree. The popularly called "thousand-year-old Achterberg lime tree" is an estimated 500 years old. In the 1960s, the imposing tree seemed doomed, until a landscaping company managed to save its health. Indeed, a new shoot now seems to be forming right next to the old trunk. Conceived as a sign of a new era, this is a beautiful parallel to contemporary new forms of living and care. This beautiful context was the inspiration not only for the name of the residential care complex, but also for the interior design of studio id+.
De Linde is a unique location, where 24 residents all live on one level in a sprawling complex. The building is set up as a number of small houses. Each "house" has four rooms and a plaza. Corridors and living rooms connect these houses. This creates a large circulation and extra light enters through patios. Each two little squares, or eight rooms and a living room, is searched for its own atmosphere and identity.
Everywhere in the building there is contact with the outside. This requires the design to find a balance between feeling inside and at the same time using the light and sight from outside. Tailor-made folding screens provide an extra layer in between, as a filter between inside and outside, but also between circulation and stay. In order to maintain calmness and overview for people with dementia.?
Each living room, but actually the entire building, has a smart lighting system. Warmer and cooler lighting alternate throughout the day, for a diverse and changing light display that supports the rhythm of the day. High, white lighting in the morning and early afternoon and warm, soft light toward the end of the afternoon and evening.
The basic lighting is indirect, making it look very natural naturally. Ambient lighting comes from atmospheric fixtures. Which are recognizable and visible as such.?
Among 24 residents, it is not easy to find your own room. In addition to the organization of the floor plan and the atmospheres and identities, the possibility of placing one's own belongings at the door has been used as recognition. Moreover, this way there is something to see and experience in the corridors.?
Given the long walking lengths, there is much opportunity for wandering and wonder. But there is also a need for resting points. At several spots along the route, there are seats. Carefully chosen to take in the surroundings in the lee. Sometimes in the vicinity of commotion, sometimes in peace and quiet.?
"The Linde is unique in the country, and perhaps far beyond. Twenty-four homes are nestled into the landscape like attached cottages. A total project from chair to landscape design where Studio id+ took care of the interior design but directed on the total." according to our client.
