ROOF GARDEN RIJNVESTE HOSPITAL – LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS

The new Rijnveste is the biggest psychiatric hospital in The Netherlands. About 23.500m² gross floor area is divided over seven floors of policlinics, clinics, therapeutic functions, leisure and offices. The urban block in which the hospital is located, also houses a parking and student housing. The psychiatric hospital is situated next to the Leiden Academic Hospital (LUMC), the Leiden University and the central Railway station.

In contrast to many psychiatric hospitals The New Rijnveste has a low threshold. It is located in middle of the city and not at the city periphery. The vision of Rivierduinen Foundation, is that psychiatric healthcare should be accessible for everyone! Mental disease should not be locked away at the edge of the city from everyday life, but rather be integrated in its environment.

From the outside the building looks like an office or a public building instead of the psychiatric institution it actually is. The outer façades are directly located at the construction limits of the site. A closed urban block with interior courtyards is formed. The exterior façades integrate inside the fabric of the city. Meanwhile, the interior façades with the interior courtyards unfold a pleasant atmosphere. All semi-public functions such as policlinics are located at the entrance of the spatial structure. Edging closer towards the heart of the building, the more private functions are located: such as the clinics and high-care facilities.

Location: Leiden, The Netherlands
Client: Rijnveste Hospital
Date: 2008 - 2012
Category: $pecial, Landscape Architecture, Public Space