Living Side by Sight
L. de Vries (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
J.H.A. Macco – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
B.M. Jurgenhake – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
R. Schroën – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
The transition from assisted mental health care to independent living remains a vulnerable phase for former mental health clients. In the Netherlands, increasing pressure on both the mental healthcare system and the housing market has highlighted the need for housing environments that support recovery, autonomy, and social integration. This research investigates how housing design can facilitate a smoother transition from assisted to independent living while simultaneously fostering social cohesion and integrating sheltered housing within a mixed-tenure residential complex.
The study focuses on Houtwijk, a neighbourhood in The Hague located adjacent to the mental health institution Parnassia. A qualitative research methodology was applied, combining literature review, interviews with mental health professionals and housing practitioners, case study analyses, and spatial observations. The research explored the challenges experienced during the transition to independent living, strategies for integrating sheltered housing with regular housing, and spatial conditions that stimulate social interaction and neighbourhood cohesion.
The findings reveal that former mental health clients often struggle with loneliness, loss of daily structure, stigma, and the abrupt transition from highly supported environments to independent living. At the same time, they value autonomy, privacy, safety, and opportunities for informal social contact. The research demonstrates that architecture can support recovery by providing gradual transitions between public and private domains, self-contained dwellings, accessible communal spaces, visual connections to everyday life, and opportunities for voluntary interaction.
These findings are translated into the architectural proposal Living Side by Sight. The project combines independent housing, sheltered housing, collective resident facilities, and public neighbourhood functions within a single residential complex. Through carefully designed sightlines, shared spaces, transition zones, and a layered sequence from city to home, the design encourages social contact without imposing it. The project demonstrates how architecture can act as a supportive framework that balances independence and care, while contributing to a more inclusive and stigma-sensitive neighbourhood.