Duinhelm npo is an organisation that provides tailor-made support and guidance to people with a disability, in the areas of housing, work and leisure. Our organisation starts out from a basic notion: ‘normal when possible, special when necessary’. This means offering support as far as possible in normal circumstances, but adapted to our clients’ capacities and limitations.

Duinhelm aims for a high quality of life for everyone. We want to give our clients opportunities to make their own choices when it comes to housing, work, learning and leisure. Our support is always based on the client’s requirements and can be applied flexibly. After all, not everyone needs the same form of support.

Duinhelm npo supports a total of about 200 people with a disability in the middle coastal region, with the aid of 97 members of staff. The npo has been in existence for over 40 years. The present infrastructure in Rietstraat in Ostend no longer complies with contemporary standards. For this reason, Duinhelm npo wishes, in the medium term, to construct a new building for people who need 24-hour support, and to do so in stages at a new location. In the first stage 20 rooms are to be built, and in the second stage 20 more.

The residents are people with a mental disability for whom the building is to be a true home. Account must be taken of the fact that they may in fact have multiple disabilities: reduced mobility, visual problems, etc.

The development of Duinhelm is part of a larger whole. In association with a private developer and the Woonwel social housing company, a collective project is being worked out in which each partner relinquishes part of the site for the development of a communal green zone. Traffic in the whole park will be limited and there will be shared green zones and amenities. It is important that the new Duinhelm infrastructure is geared to this larger whole. The principles for the landscape design for the public zone are provided as part of the assignment.

The building should present an inclusive face to the surrounding neighbourhood, with the aim of maximum integration. In addition, the building should as much as possible incorporate the principles of universal design. Resources must be used frugally. The design should combine the lowest possible investment with the greatest possible functionality.

This assignment includes drawing up a concept plan for the two stages (40 residents), combined with the first stage of execution (20 residents). An important element when drawing up this concept plan is the generation of a schedule that allows for the phased construction of the new building. The fee for the second stage of execution must not be higher than that for the first.

The principal reserves the right not to award the second stage of execution (20 residents). He may decide to award it to a third party, which will involve a new tendering process. In such a case, the designer cannot assert any right to damages.