Kellersvej | NORD Architects Copenhagen

Assisted Living Kellersvej

A city within the city

In the fast pace of today’s society it can be hard to fit in with the complexity of daily life, if you have special needs.

With the proposal for the future care homes for the intellectually disabled at Kellersvej, NORD Architects and collaborators created al as city within the city - a safe haven where residents can live independently with plenty of opportunities for socializing, support, life and culture. The ambitions is to create an easier, more social and more accessible neighborhood for the residents and their relatives. By creating a village-like setting with a countryside feeling, the neighborhood creates a diverse, controlled and safe area, giving residents the opportunity to live a normal and independent life.

The care home village invite relatives inside and let the residents meet them at eye level and with a dignity that helps in giving the feeling of the good life.

Each residential unit of 13 homes is spatially divided into two neighbouring units with 6-7 homes in each, which share a common area. The neighbouring residential units form a square, where the primary common areas always open towards southwest or southeast. A raised roof marks the joint space and creates a high ceiling and skylight. The neighbouring units overlap each other in the common areas and create two angular spaces – one common terrace directed towards the village and one directed towards the natural surroundings. The terraces are withdrawn from the primary common areas, ensuring that socially weak residents can still be part of the immediate social unit, without feeling exposed to visual noise and such. The two outdoor terraces weave around the common kitchen and dining and living areas, and together they form coherent, but also differentiated spaces where residents at their own request can select social group of their choice.