The transformation of this monumental house in Leuven into a contemporary care home offers a unique combination of contemporary care and soothing contemplation. The protected mansion, dating from the end of the 19th century, is being carefully restored, with the iconic white plastered facade being restored to its former glory.
While the front of the Wit Huis regains its historical grandeur on the Sint-Jacobsplein, the garden side undergoes a contemporary transformation. A robust, generous canopy meanders between the building and the garden. With an open spatiality, it provides additional outdoor and indoor rooms: a new chapel, a garden room with terrace and a studio. The cassette construction allows the canopy to reach far into the garden with a limited number of load-bearing fins. The green pigmented concrete and vertical wooden joinery provide a subtle transition from the historical interior to the green outdoor area.
The individual living spaces of the sisters are contemporary monastery cells, divided between the floors of the original mansion. These 12 rooms, each with its own bathroom, are designed with an eye for comfort and simplicity. The communal life is supported by a spacious, renovated kitchen, a dining room, a library and an office space, which offer both security and cosiness. The carriage gate once again becomes the generous passage to the serene inner garden. The former city garden becomes a real monastery garden and supports contemplation and quiet relaxation. This garden is designed as a permeable landscape, where the excess rainwater from the roofs infiltrates into the soil via a wildly overgrown wadi.
