Rehabilitation Centre Groot Klimmendaal by Architectenbureau Koen van Velsen

The Rehabilitation Centre Groot Klimmendaal has been designed by Architectenbureau Koen van Velsen and is located in a Dutch forest outside Arnhem, the Netherlands, and is one of six projects to be shortlisted for this year’s Mies van der Rohe Award.

It is a three-storey building and comprises offices, a clinic, sports facilities, a swimming pool, a restaurant and a theatre. All of these are connected through a beautiful wooden staircase, and the atria and lightwells visually connect the spaces and allow a great amount of natural light to penetrate. Stepping outside you can notice a beautiful brown-golden anodised aluminium facade which allows the building to blend in with its natural surroundings.

The continuity between interior and exterior is accomplished due to the full height glazing along the central space which connects various internal elements of the building. Another great thing about this Rehabilitation Centre is that the surrounding nature has a strong visual and tangible presence everywhere in the building, and allows the user to revalidate whilst walking. The idea was to create a building as a part of its surroundings and the community, and to offer a natural habitat for care but at the same time to allow plenty of opportunity for other activities.