In light of the current discussion in architecture regarding healthcare, we often disregard the qualities of “old-fashioned” healthcare buildings.
In the neighbourhood of Droixhe, Liege, this is no different. The site used to be inhabited by a thriving healthcare residence named ‘Les Murlais’, however, its thoughtless demolition erased not just the physical entity but also a caring architectural gesture that once shaped lives. The scar is still visible as the concrete pit was all that remained.
‘Une Centre de Vitalité’ is a design proposal seeking to redeem the qualities of ‘Les Murlais’ by addressing and implementing patient-based design with an ecological approach regarding the concrete pit as a layer of the site which should be respected. The design provides flexible spaces for the currently neglected healthcare practices of the neighbourhood and in addition spaces for physical activities and sports. A healthcare building in a residential area should not be a fenced-off place for illness but a place to regain strength and come together. The design proposes a nature-inclusive building with attention to biobased materials and forward-striving climate concepts.

How the green landscape of Overvecht is determinant for its social development. The thesis seeks to investigate the relationship between the deterioration of the neighbourhood and the green landscape.