Foreschate

In the heart of the Bosgeest neighborhood in Voorschoten stands the Foreschate Residential Care building, a 1970s complex set within a thoughtfully designed green landscape. To meet contemporary care needs, Woonzorg Nederland, in collaboration with care provider Topaz, adopted a strategy combining selective demolition, new construction, and renovation. The new care building is conceived as a distinctive living environment where the atmosphere of “feeling at home” forms the guiding principle.
The renovated volume is composed of staggered independent units (30 assisted-living apartments), each with private outdoor spaces—gardens on the ground floor and balconies on the upper floors. Special functions were added on the ground floor, such as a new entrance, a parking facility for scooters, and a communal living room.
The second wing, which accommodated residents with severe dementia, has been demolished and replaced with a new building tailored to the specific needs of dementia care. Inspired by the adjacent renovated wing, the new building adopts a nuanced play of stepped volumes that clearly distinguishes the individual group units from the common rooms, creating a natural continuity between old and new. On the ground floor, there is a community center with multifunctional spaces, including a gathering area, meeting room, hairdresser, physiotherapy room, and administrative offices for the Topaz healthcare organization.
Although the two wings accommodate different resident groups, the project is conceived as a unified architectural and urban ensemble. This coherence is expressed in the articulation of the façades, where the rhythm of the individual units is made visible, while the collective identity is reinforced through calm, tactile brickwork that blends seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhood. The plinth is accentuated with concrete framing elements, referencing the architectural language of the original 1970s structure. A prominent canopy marks the new entrance, creating a welcoming threshold supported by a redesigned public landscape. The garden has been redesigned as an accessible communal landscape—open to residents and local visitors—and features pathways, planting beds, and spaces for gathering and play. The entire complex is designed with future transformation and adaptability in mind: structural openings have been pre-planned within load-bearing in-situ cast walls and façade composition, window dimensions, and provisions are integrated structurally from the outset, ensuring that future change can occur without compromising quality or continuity.