Innovative housing Twente

The DC NOISE project kicked off on 1 June 2008. Through the innovative housing component, Regio Twente, together with partners Carint Reggeland and Vereniging Woon, wishes to gain better insight into the consequences of the demographic changes for the housing market and devise practical solutions to respond to these consequences. Demographic shrinkage (drop in households) first has visible consequences for the housing market and, in tandem, the living environment. To gain insight into best practices and to be able to learn from them, demonstration projects are being initiated. The central question in this pilot is: How can the stakeholders in the housing market respond to the consequences of the demographic changes in the Twente region?

The analysis drawn up will ask the important questions:
• What demographic changes will occur in the coming period?
• What are the consequences of the demographic changes for the housing market in the Twente region?
• What (innovative) housing concepts are already being applied in the Twente region?
• How can awareness regarding the consequences of demographic changes be increased?

A number of trends confronting Twente in the coming period are outlined, and possible consequences for the housing market are derived. This is followed by an overview of existing housing concepts with real-life examples. Housing concepts are also included that have not yet been applied in the Twente region of the Netherlands but could be promising when it comes to responding to the consequences of demographic changes. The housing concepts must serve as inspiration and could be an answer to problem definition.

To introduce structure, the concepts in the paper are divided into four categories: spatial development, architecture, care and welfare, and financial and organisational regulations. To respond as well as possible to the future demographic changes, it is important to make an inventory of the already existing housing concepts. In this way, it can serve as an example and stimulate inspiration.

For illustration purposes, two examples of housing concepts are taken:

1. Within the category architecture, the Solid

A Solid is a building that can last for a great many years because it consists of a complex of rented rooms whose use can change. In the first instance a Solid can have rooms of a certain size, but the size of these dwellings can also change over time. Offices or companies can also be housed in the Solid. The aim is to create a building that is long-lasting because the supporting structure and façade last for generations, so the front elevation remains the same. Inside, however, the building can be flexibly partitioned, leading to a changing mix of residential and work functions. Tenants themselves can fit out the rooms.

2. Within the category care and welfare, cluster housing

Cluster housing is an extramural type of housing that combines near normal as possible living with a more substantial form of care. Each resident has a private room, but in this type of housing days are spent mainly in groups in communal rooms. In this type, there is 24-hour cover and supervision. Certain target groups are placed together so that care can be clustered.

You can read the paper (written in dutch) for more information or the complete inventory carried out for the pilot.

[ add comment ]