We have won an open architectural competition to design a residential care home in a UNESCO protected historic town of Litomysl in eastern Bohemia. The site is within a high quality residential development on the edge of the town and the aim of the proposal is to integrate the new home to its wider urban context through familiar scale and a series of external public spaces.

The emphasis of the design is on applying every possible architectural tool to de-institutionalize the care home through the use of elements that may be familiar to an old person. Each department of 15 bedrooms has its own staff and its structure is parallel to a small town or village community with a square for social and every day activities such as dining, streets in the way of corridors with stopping and resting points and small alcoves for groups or individuals offering views to the outside environment. Two bright light wells bring daylight and sunlight deep into the interior and offer the residents a walking route around them. Each bedroom is configured for disabled access and assisted care and offers the residents a good degree of individuality in furnishing and decoration.