Care Home in Bjuv

How have care homes traditionally been designed? What are the social effects of the design? The project started with these two simple questions. It was crusial to target the three main groups: the residents, their relatives and the staff and find out how they could find stimuli in the physical environment.

The care home in Norra Vram consists of a late 19th century Mansion that’s been rebuilt and extended, in total 2500 sqm. The volumes are designed to aesthetically resemble old Swedish farms, and to complement other houses in the neighborhood. A couple of mews are placed next to each other and in the spaces between them atrium courtyards are situated. The small green gardens allow residents to enjoy time outdoors by themselves. The volumes are plastered in different colors, picking up the shades in the red brick of the existing Mansion.

The first impression of the interior is a spacious and welcoming entrance area. This is a flexible space for gatherings with a reception, a library and a small espresso bar. From here one reaches the three wards - one for short time stays, one for people with dementia and one for the physically and mentally impaired. All residential rooms are organized adjacent to a communal living room or a green court yard. In that way, long corridors are minimized on behalf of more stimulating meeting places and focal points. The different wards are connected with each other which makes it possible to walk around, a necessity for people with dementia.