The project was started by a classmate of mine, Boukje. In the last year of her studies, Boukje was diagnosed with a brain tumour. During her period of illness and recovery, she experienced the limitations of the current healthcare architecture and decided to create a healthcare manifesto to improve healthcare architecture from within.

This manifesto formed the basis for my graduation project, a design for a healhtcare center between the Vondelpark and the Overtoom street in Amsterdam. Together with Boukje's relatives, care providers, developers and scientists, we have further investigated this manifesto and also supplemented the research with research into the history of healthcare architecture and research into the project location.

The design took place by putting myself in the thinking of the user as much as possible. The design process of the final project therefore started from the bed of the house; the most personal place. From there, the design was born and the scale of the building grew: from bed to home, common areas, health clinic, spa in the form of a sunken garden, the garden next to the Vondelparkand the surroundings. The design originated from the ’I-perspective’: every time I asked myself the question: "I wake up and… then what?".

The current healthcare building on this site is closed off from the city and park by a large ramp and iron fence. Healing House does the opposite: it is an inherent part of the environment by allowing park and city to continue through the building.