Inventive and exciting

We won first prize for our design 'SnoezelThuis' (Snoezel Therapy being a type of sensory therapy) in the idea contest organised by the Netherlands Board for Healthcare. Our idea was praised for its modern translation of the classical Dutch home model, and was also found to be 'inventive' and 'exciting in its simplicity'. The SnoezelThuis fits in every residential area with freestanding and duplex homes and offers attractive living conditions for those with multiple handicaps, as well as for elderly people. The future has also been taken into consideration: every home is easy to convert into two normal family homes.

The design proceeds from the idea that those with multiple handicaps do not have fundamentally different living needs from non-handicapped people. The basic assumption is a typically Dutch house with living space downstairs and bedrooms upstairs. To connect the floors, there are open spaces that create a spatial experience between upstairs and downstairs. The light penetrates deeply into the home and interesting sight lines are created in the home as well as to the outside. The house itself becomes a sensual experience, a Snoezel home.