Rehabilitation Center Groot Klimmendaal

 Location: Arnhem, the Netherlands.

 Date: 2011
 Architect: Koen van Velsen
 Total area: 14000.0 m2
 Project background: the project was awarded Building of the Year 2010 by the Dutch Association of
Architects, winner of the first Hedy d‘Ancona Award 2010 for excellent healthcare architecture, winner
of the Arnhem Heuvelink Award 2010 and winner of the Dutch Design Award 2010 public award and
category commercial interior.
 Project significance and impact: The project offers an unconventional approach of designing
healthcare institutions. The building offers a pleasant and comforting experience to its users.
 Keywords: Rehabilitation, healthcare, wellbeing, nature, sustainability

DESIGN APPROACH
The design of a reintegration and rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol addicts poses a problem of social
stigma and repulsion of such centers. The design aims to change the stereotypical image of rehab centers and
create a welcoming and comforting environment for its users. The Rehabilitation Center Groot Klimmendaal
for physical limitations tackles this problem through its design.

BLOCKS AND MATERIALS

 FIRST- the architecture of the building disowns the typical healthcare center design. The building is
cladded with brown anodized aluminum panels which, despite of its size, makes the building dissolve
within its surroundings
 SECOND- the design of the center highlights the healing capacities of nature. Sited inside the forest of
Arnhem in the Netherlands, the curtain walls and generous glass use in its façade invite the forest inside
the building, giving its user a constant view of nature.
 THIRD-the building hosts multiple leisure and recreation facilities such as, a fitness center, a gym, and
a theatre in its entrance level. The community is allowed to use the facilities and thus helping the
patients with their reintegration process
 FOURTH-the interiors of the building emphasize on reducing the patients anxiety and distress through
the use of diverse but subtle colors.

SURROUNDING
Residing within the forests of the Netherlands, Rehabilitation Center Groot Klimmendaal hides between the
trees like a quiet deer. It blends with its surrounding landscape and architecture and is accessible by a street
with bicycle and pedestrian paths. The street feeds multiple institutions mostly dedicated for the children and
people with disabilities. The center follows the massing and heights of surrounding buildings and appears to
have the darkest shade of brown in the area. It may be explained by the attempt to camouflage the building.

SCALE AND SPATIAL/FORM RELATIONSHAIPS

THE COLUMNS’ ORGANISATION IN THE LEVEL 0 PLAN OF GROOT KLIMMENDAAL

The plan of the center is rectangular, which starts with a small footprint of 110x30m and grows to reach
160x30m at upper levels. The high length to width ratio increases the surface area and thus exposes the
interiors of the building to the forest, and provides natural light to most of the rooms inside. In addition, the
building hosts double and triple heights plus atriums at different levels, further increasing the amount of
natural light entering the building and visually connecting different levels with each other. The structure of
the center is irregular and diverse. Most of the columns are reinforced concrete with a different arrangement
between exterior and interior columns. However, the columns in the southern façade are instead inclined
steel columns adding aesthetics to the double height area.

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS AND CIRCULATION

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

The use of energy is reduced by the compact design of the building, and the design of the mechanical and
electrical installations. Most notably, the thermal storage (heat and cold storage) contributes to the reduction
of energy consumption. The choice of selecting sustainable building materials, and materials requiring little
maintenance for floor finishes, ceilings and facade cladding, result in a building which can be easily
maintained and with a long lifespan
 Perhaps one of the most notable characteristics of
the Groot Klimmendaal is its use of striking yet
subtle colors. With The notion of color theory, the
center implements diverse array of colors and
shades in its interiors, creating a visually arousing
yet comforting environment

SPORTS FACILITY ENTRANCE

circulation of the building comes with a rich experience of double heights, light wells, and diverse colors