In many villages in the Netherlands, basic facilities disappear. With Kaleidoskoop (Kaleidoscope), a residential building with care and cultural facilities, a special program is created with the intention to enhance the viability of the village. The heart of the building is the Kulturhus (a house of culture) with a multipurpose hall, café-restaurant, library and information counters. Kaleidoscope is a residential building where all forms of customized care are possible, from a light to a very difficult degree. The focus lies on the residential function, for residents in the apartments, but also in the three special group homes for psycho-geriatric residents that are located on the ground floor at the courtyard. The Kulturhus is the daily meeting place for all residents from Kaleidoskoop and from the village, young and old.
Mixing the functions was a special challenge because the functions are inserted by independent tenants. The core of the design solution is a building where protection for vulnerable residents is combined with an open, publicly accessible building. Also divisibility, safety and partial sealability are realized. By combining strong functional design solutions, such as the closed core in the Kulturhus for the multipurpose hall, with strong logistics and a clear design a building is made that quietly connects these two core objectives. In Kaleidoskoop dependent elderly remain naturally a part of society, and the village gained a beautiful public building.
The building, with its large program, is carefully fitted into the small village by the articulation of the facades and the variety in façade materials. Inspired by the reeds in the surroundings the design is made with a façade of this traditional material. At that time the existing techniques for the application of reed on a facade did not match with the technical fire demands for an apartment building that, in addition, has a care function. Therefore special fire tests had to be made, and a combination of detailing and material treatment has led to the first reed facade with fire certificate in the Netherlands.
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