1975 - Opening De Drie Hoven

Polygoonjournaal

Intended for the elderly who are physically and mentally challenged, De Drie Hoven originally contained 55 dwellings for couples, 190 single-person units and a nursing home with 250 beds. Much has been altered since then; rooms have been enlarged and there is little left of the original programme.

The requirements for the various sections of the building are incorporated into a common building order. A system of columns, beams and floors adhering to a fixed and consistently applied module, this 'order' actually allows a great deal of freedom in the use of space. It has been proved that the regulating power of the basic structure is such as to enable subsequent changes, however chaotic, without its unity being unduly disturbed.

The building functions for its residents as a small, more or less complete city. This is emphatically expressed in the pattern of streets and squares, emerging at a central encounter area where the residents' social life has its heart.

Polygoonjournaal, 1975