Sacred care
The societal role of vacant churches in the elderly housing crisis
M.J.M. van Zantvliet (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
A.C. de Ridder – Mentor (TU Delft - Heritage & Architecture)
I. Nevzgodine – Mentor (TU Delft - Heritage & Architecture)
K. Mulder – Mentor (TU Delft - Architectural Technology)
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Abstract
This paper is aimed at investigating the design of care homes for independent elderly people within a former church building. With the growing vacancy rate of churches, the aim of this research is to see if they can complement the housing need present among the elderly. In the Netherlands, a quarter of all religious buildings have already been transformed into a new function at this moment in time, which will only increase over the years3. In the case of elderly housing, this percentage doesn’t go above four per cent of the total transformations4. This article reveals the reasons why care isn’t at this moment of time appealing to host in a former church, as well as the design strategies that can be followed in order to make care functions more attractive to facilitate within a church. In addition, I also believe that the social character of the church can contribute to facilitating care facilities. This is due to the church already having a social role in society which can be complemented by taking care into consideration. Therefore, I would like to explore what we as architects can do with these buildings to provide the elderly with sufficient living space where they can live the rest of their lives and where their mental well-being is stimulated.