During the festive award ceremony of Architectenweb Awards 2019, the Care Hotel Domstate in Utrecht was awarded the Care Building of the Year 2019. On Thursday October 31 in Amsterdam, the prize was awarded to diederendirrix architects and Van Eijk & van der Lubbe.

"Architecture and interior really work together at Zorghotel Domstate, according to the jury. She thinks the spatial quality diederendirrix has gained within the existing hull and the kind of stimulating experience and innovations Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe have managed to incorporate into the interior was clever". Read the entire article here.

Care Hotel for AxionContinu in Utrecht

A 4-star hotel for rehabilitation care. A building with 84 hotel rooms, a restaurant, various treatment rooms and offices. Guests here will win back their independence because the motto is: ‘It’s all about rehabilitation’. We have created a healing environment. An environment that contributes to recovery. Not only in the therapy rooms, but especially in every other part of the care hotel as well.

The design

The four themes in the architectural design by diederendirrix architects have been translated into interior design and usage. The content foundation for this design has been laid in close cooperation with AxionContinu. The design encourages guests to be proactive and to work towards their own recovery.

The four themes: ‘It’s a hotel, unless…’, ‘Colouring outside the lines’, ‘Bringing the outdoors inside’ and ‘Rehabilitating is like being a top athlete’ can be felt throughout the entire building.

It is a hotel, unless…

It’s important to create the atmosphere of a hotel. In the areas where guests are staying, rehabilitating and meeting their friends and family we pay a great deal of attention to all the facilities that a 4-star hotel offers. It’s about ‘being pampered’, about wellness, and about feeling welcome. This is based on the strong sense that these aspects contribute to a successful recovery.

Colouring outside the lines

In the areas of the building where employees work, it’s OK for them to colour outside the lines. The design for these areas is aimed at making the most of innovation and diversity in day-to-day work. The employees of Zorghotel Domstate in Utrecht enjoy working ‘just a little differently’. This will keep it fun. And exciting.

Bringing the outdoors inside

The outdoors has been brought inside to connect with ‘ordinary’ life outside the care hotel. Especially in the public area it is easy to meet ‘people from the world outside’. And this is also where the outside world is encouraged to be involved in the rehabilitation treatment during a stay in Domstate. Situations from home can be carefully trained here, both indoors and outside, without labelling them as rehabilitation care.

Rehabilitating is like being a top athlete

It’s all about rehabilitation in Zorghotel Domstate. The aim is to make it as much fun as possible. To motivate and challenge the hotel guests by an active appearance and playful elements in the design. Coaxing them to go the extra mile towards their own independence.

The process

The first site visit was in July 2016. Diederendirrix architects had already started their renovation plans and we went to get to know the location and the building. The preliminary design was drafted after a period of mini-internships, research, analysis and interpretation. From proposals for materials and 3D-rendering to project realisation.

Client: AxionContinu Utrecht
Architect: diederendirrix
Photography: Jeroen van der Wielen
Realised: 2018