Architects erase the dividing line between care and hospitality TEXT: KOEN GUIKING | PHOTOS: LLOX
The first ‘care hotel’ of Flanders was opened last year. Hospital patients can book themselves in at this four-star hotel in Antwerp if they are released from hospital but do not feel strong enough to go home yet. This innovative crossover between a care centre and a hotel was designed by LLOX Architects from Belgium, in collaboration with EGM architects from the Netherlands.
care facilities. This is exactly the point, explains LLOX’s project architect Geert Bekaert. “The hotel caters for guests who need to recover from a hospital stay, but it is also open to the general public. Those who are recovering here don’t have the stigma of being a patient. They are just guests, like anyone else.”
by a physiotherapist can also be booked here if medically required. “The hotel has an A label for wheelchair accessibility,” Bekaert explains. “And the top floor, which includes two family suites for guests who want their loved ones around during their recovery period, even has an A+ label, the highest score possible.”
A+ for wheelchair accessibility
Hotel Drie Eiken was constructed right next to the Antwerp University Hospital, but it operates fully independently. When on its premises, ordinary visitors may not notice that this accommodation offers
What makes this hotel special is that it is incredibly wheelchair friendly, from the rooms to the fitness centre and from the restaurant to the in-house hairdresser. The wellness centre offers great facilities for those just coming to relax, but a massage
Obtaining the maximum score is a result of LLOX’s decades of experience in designing for the health care sector. The architects at this firm know how to combine smart designs with regulation compliance. For instance, the front door of every hotel room has exactly the
14 | Issue 30 | June 2016