Combined care home and daycare centre
Kong Gauers Gård
Kong Gauers Gård is the first initiative in Denmark to combine a care home for the elderly and a daycare centre for the young, within the same building. The project leads the way in rethinking how we design and develop institutions and public buildings – and how people can live together across generations, creating added value in everyday life.
Facts about the project
Client
Vejle Municipality
Place
Vejle, Denmark
Status
Completed
Size
27 000 sqm
An activity centre for the entire surrounding area
Kong Gauers Gård is a unique development that helps strengthen community cohesion in Vejle Municipality. Many Danish care homes already welcome visits from local daycare centres, and these shared experiences are enriching for both children and the residents. The vision of the project is to create a building with design that actively supports social interaction between children, care home residents and the wider surroundings.
At the heart of the project is a large activity centre, where care home residents and staff, children from the daycare centre, visitors and citizens from across the area can come together for activities such as cafe visits, creative workshops, bingo or market days – meeting naturally in shared settings.
Shared outdoor environments focused on health and wellbeing
The shared outdoor areas are designed to be used by many different groups throughout the day. For example, the daycare centre’s outdoor spaces, can also function as ball courts and mountain bike tracks, that can also be used by children from the nearby residential area and local schools.
In addition, these areas can be used as balance and motor skills trails for anyone just passing through. An animal enclosure has also been discussed, which would bring great enjoyment and benefits to daycare centre children, care home residents and families from the city alike.
