Masterplan and Care Residence Mayerhof

The Mayerhof care centre in Mortsel is a replacement new-build, realised in accordance with VIPA guidelines but without subsidies, while the existing facility remained in use during construction. The architecture by Areal Architecten reinterprets the traditional care typology into a figure-eight structure where circulation, light, and encounter intertwine. Around two inner gardens, a clear and domestic care landscape unfolds, allowing residents to move freely and meet naturally. The façade, composed of timber-frame construction with light metal cladding, folds around the programme like a woven skin, lending the building a gentle tactility. A combined heat and power installation (CHP) and solar panels provide a sustainable energy system, anchoring the project within a collective vision that extends to the later-built assisted-living units on site. Mayerhof is more than a care home: it is a caring, sustainable campus, where architecture, people, and light together shape an environment of dignity, comfort, and community.