Near Bonn, OOW has upgraded an inpatient care facility of the Augustinum Foundation by drawing on the repertoire of modern architecture. A new-build was designed that protects the privacy of the residents suffering from dementia and makes it easier for them to find their way around.
Set directly on the Rhine within a listed park, an historic villa is retained as the sanatorium’s main house. OOW’s plan introduces three new buildings that sit respectfully on the park’s edge, preserving mature trees and the character of the villa while meeting the highest standards of function and design. As throughout our senior-living work, we began from the users’ perspective. Living and social spaces are organised so that residents’ privacy is the primary design criterion and is maintained wherever possible. From their familiar rooms, residents step into shared lounges that accommodate daily activities; from here, clear routes lead to the dining rooms, into the park, or to lounges in the neighbouring buildings.
In this project, as in all others, the OOW team has consistently put itself in the user’s perspective. Living and common areas are structured in such a way that the privacy of the residents is the decisive criterion and is preserved as best as possible.
Each resident can move from his or her familiar room to a common area that offers space for shared activities. From here, walkways lead to the dining areas and further into the park or to the common areas of the other buildings.
There is open access to the park, where residents can stroll and enjoy nature with a view of the Rhine. It can be reached directly from all common areas and dining rooms. And what if the weather is bad? Then the glazed communal areas offer sweeping views of the park.
Located in Oberkassel, a suburb of Bonn, the Itzel Sanatorium is operated by the non-profit Augustinum Foundation. With OOW’s extension to the listed villa, capacity rises from 65 to 80 residents.
Bedrooms in the three new houses are arranged over three storeys. Each building is gently cranked to avoid the long corridors often perceived as disorienting. On the two upper storeys, leaving the lift brings you into a small lounge—also used by visiting relatives—which is open to the lift lobby. The interior concept and varied outlooks, depending on orientation, support intuitive wayfinding for residents.
