GGz Breburg Tilburg

EGM Architects designed the interior for the transformation of the former outpatient clinic into office space for management and support services, while the restaurant has also been converted into a welcoming work café.

Care moves to the home

In recent years, mental healthcare in the Netherlands has undergone a transition: care has shifted towards home-based services. The government's goal was to enable people to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. GGz Breburg, a specialized mental healthcare institution, responded to this trend by improving outpatient care and reducing the number of inpatient admissions. The resulting vacant spaces provided an opportunity to repurpose buildings for the organization's own administrative functions. One such building is the former outpatient clinic in the centre of Tilburg. EGM Architects designed the interior for the transformation of this clinic into office space for management and support services, while also converting the restaurant into a welcoming workplace café.

Daylight, spaciousness and comfort

The starting point for the interior design is the transformation of a rather dark, sober and monotonous environment into a light, comfortable and varied office space. This has been translated into an efficient open-plan office environment with plenty of (day)light and overview. Flexible workstations ensure efficient use of space, and activity-based workplaces promote knowledge sharing, meeting and collaboration. Acoustic panels, air and temperature control and artificial lighting further contribute to comfort.

From closed outpatient clinic to open office space

The building consists of four adjoining sections, each with its own structure. By removing walls, adjusting the structure and installing skylights, daylight penetrates deep into the building. An atrium near the entrance and the integration of visual art enhance the spaciousness. Varying ceiling heights and different floor colours distinguish the work and circulation areas. Differences in wall heights, glass walls and types of workstations provide variety.

The entrance facade has been made inviting and recognisable with a simple intervention and fits in with the image of GGz Breburg: resilient, hospitable and future-oriented.

It is a wonderful opportunity to transform the dark, closed buildings into an open and light working environment, which also offers the client significant cost savings.

Sustainability and flexibility

By increasing the spatial and building physics quality, the lifespan of the existing buildings is extended. Other sustainable measures include reuse of furniture, the use of Cradle-to-Cradle materials, the use of LED lighting and the retention of existing and material-intensive elements. The open structure with flexible workstations offers the possibility to realise more workplaces in the future. At the beginning of 2021, GGz Breburg received the Sustainability Certificate 'Green Deal Healthcare'. The aim of the Green Deal is to improve the environmental performance of existing healthcare institutions and to extend it to other locations if necessary.

Evidence Based Design

A lot of attention has been paid to environmental factors such as light, air, temperature and sound. Simulation models have been created to test the light output of the skylights. These show that the building would also meet the desired requirements as an office without skylights. Because daylight makes an important contribution to well-being and the biorhythm, a conscious and well-considered decision was made to realise these skylights anyway. The choice of artificial lighting has also been investigated. To determine the most suitable warmth of the artificial light, a test set-up was created in three equivalent office spaces. With simple questionnaires and direct feedback, we collected the findings of employees and incorporated them into the design.

Responding to wishes

During the design process, EGM, together with the project management office, regularly organised various workshops with the client GGZ Breburg. Through a 'Brown Paper session', all input from the various users was collected and made visible. In this way, functionality, comfort and image have been even better tailored to the various wishes in our design. For us, a beautiful and challenging task, where a coherent design has been realised with all the input: open, inviting and flexible.

_{Photography: Jeroen Musch}