Ageing with dignity and a lovely view? This retirement home takes the wishes of an ageing society seriously and proves that a care facility is not a hospital.
Vila Nova de Gaia is a small city on the Atlantic, in north of Portugal. It is south of the city of Oporto, from which it is separated only by the Douro River. Last year a home for seniors was built in this city that aims to offer its residents the most comfortable stay possible.
With 120 rooms and many recreational spaces and common areas, the modern residential complex admits both completely self-sufficient residents and bedridden residents.
DThe building site – surrounded by single-family homes to the east and a generous green area around the manor house Palaceto de S. Paio to the south – slopes downward sharply. This was a major challenge during planning, explains the architect Nuno Valentim: “Due to the terrain, we had to divide the volume into two sections with a square base.”
The building sections are slightly staggered and twisted towards each other, which gives the project a major added value: “This way all rooms had their own unique view.” View and natural light that enters played a central role in planning on each floor. The ground floor, a semi-basement, receives natural light through the interior courtyards and also through eye-catching, round skylights; the rooms in the upper floors are luminous, with views of the nearby park or the Douro River, which flows into the Atlantic here.
The entire building project, both the outside walls and the inside walls, is kept in natural-coloured brickwork. This allows the buildings to blend in harmoniously with their surroundings without making a strong impression. In the interior, all walls are kept in warm shades of red, which makes the retirement home liveable and even cosy.
The brick Terca Amberley Red Multi was selected for the façade: “A solid brick of very irregular, bright red colour was used,” explains the planner. The joint on the front of the bricks is also essential to the way the building is perceived. When viewed from afar, the buildings are unobtrusive in spite of their considerable size. No hint of hospitals and old-age homes: This retirement home guides your gaze to the beautiful surroundings.
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