Where care and education experience come together
Nelleke Lagerwerf, interior architect at Gispen: 'I often notice that healthcare workers really do have a 'caring heart'. They are very good at indicating what the children need, instead of 'what do I need'. Because rehabilitation rooms are very specific, I conducted an extensive user session for each room. How are we going to organize and organize it? In the teaching rooms, we supplied the non-specialized furniture, such as group tables, cabinets and teachers' desks. This is more universal, but the ROeR's target group did ask for adjustments. Think of a different height adjustment of tables. We have delivered customization where necessary and created one line throughout the building. For example, in the classrooms you see wooden Inline cabinets on wheels that you see in the rehabilitation rooms. I chose materials that were easy to clean. For example, a lot of the children's furniture is made of artificial leather instead of fabric. The right materials are more durable, because they last longer. We were able to combine our knowledge of care and education beautifully within the ROeR.'
Vibrancy, disturbance and tranquillity
The open-plan offices and communal seating areas are designed in the same way for education and rehabilitation. Gispen installed Gispen TEAM tables, Gispen TMNL desks, Gispen SETT sofas and Techo Hyll cabinets, among others. Nelleke: 'I like to summarize the office concept as vibrancy, disturbance and tranquillity. There are more vibrant places for a team meeting, for example. There are very quiet spaces, such as phone booths, where you can focus. And you have workplaces that are in between. Something for everyone.' Joekjan Höweler, director of Tyltylschool Rotterdam: 'In the office wing, everyone is mixed up. Remedial educationalists, internal supervisors, ICT specialists, the administration. That works very well. Sometimes points of discussion are already dealt with in the hallway!'
Equal consultation
In several places in the building there is a discussion table that comes from healthcare and fits well within education, the organic TMNL Doc. Arjan: 'We looked at everyone who comes together here: the child, the therapists and the parents. Equality is paramount to us. At this consultation table with soft, round shapes, they can really have an equal conversation.' The table offers enough space to fill in forms with parents together. The table is also used for video calling.
How do you like it?
Arjan: 'Very well. Everyone who comes here is impressed by the building and its size. We have much better treatment options. Everything is very playful, from a large marble run for the children to the Gispen elephant lamps in the waiting rooms. The building is very extensive, so we have to keep looking for each other.'
Joekjan: 'The link between the two types of school is golden. The most vulnerable children pull themselves up to the less vulnerable children. You can also see that when meeting in the schoolyard. We can now offer them the most appropriate education. Now the building can continue to live on – but that will come naturally.'
Photography: Studio de Zwarte Kater
Video: SE Video Productions
