ABSTRACT
Humanitas Deventer houses 150 senior citizens, but it also offers free accommodation to six university students. As well as making student living more affordable, it allows these young adults to learn about the life experiences of a completely different generation and understand the value of slowing down. With the success of the student living programme, Sijpkes was able to introduce more initiatives that allow the residents of Humanitas to interact with the neighbourhood. With a goal of creating ‘the warmest house in the neighbourhood’, the building began hosting an array of community clubs and events, from support groups to sewing clubs. Humanitas has come to describe itself as a ‘living lab’, where social experiments are used to forge greater connections between people. Because community spirit drove the design, rather than the other way around, its spaces respond directly to the needs of the neighbourhood both inside and outside the building.
