Target group-orientated development of a cooperative residential neighbourhood
(Lower Saxony)
Source: Bauverein Rüstringen eG
The North Sea city of Wilhelmshaven (pop. 82,000) has recorded falls in the number of inhabitants since the 1970s because of the economic structural change and the withdrawal of the military, which totalled more than 8 % in the last two decades. These falls in population numbers have been felt in three residential neighbourhoods in the form of inner-city losses of functions. One of these residential neighbourhoods is the listed settlement of Siebethsburg, which was built between 1904 and 1939 on the northern fringe of the inner-city as a garden town. The settlement, described as an inner-city jewel, with approx. 3,000 residential units, is owned by a housing cooperative – Bauverein Rüstringen e.G. – and faces the challenge of existing with small apartments, unfavourable floor plans and deficits in fittings and fixtures in a weakened rented housing market.
Source: Stadt Wilhelmshaven
The listed garden town settlement Siebethsburg in Wilhelmshaven with approx. 3,000 residential units is characterised by a very high proportion, 40 %, of people older than 65. The owner of the apartments, Bauverein Rüstringen e.G., has identified this user group as potential in a weakened rented housing market. The company's aim is to create the structural and infrastructural requirements for allowing elderly people to remain in their apartments for as long as possible.
One important investment was the redevelopment of a collection of buildings to the requirements of a day care centre with associated welfare centre and apartments suitable for the elderly. The welfare centre could be integrated into the building complex through the redevelopment of a former janitor apartment. The Arbeiter Samariter Bund (ASB) provides expert advice in the area of nursing, care, offers support and coordinates its inpatient care services here.
A day care centre as a partial inpatient facility for looking after Alzheimer and dementia patients completes the inpatient service. The day care centre represents an alternative to a nursing home and allows older people to remain in their own apartment and their own living environment for longer. The day patients are collected by ambulance and at the end of the day are driven back to their apartments. In addition, fifteen 60m² apartments have been renovated with disabled-appropriate and disabled-friendly designs in the main building of the complex. Additional services in the medical, nursing and budgetary area in the form of "Sheltered housing", can also be selected freely. In addition, there is a close connection to the welfare centre.
Furthermore, apartments are available here for short-term or night care, i.e. people can be looked after here who, for example, are not yet able to return to their own apartment after a stay in hospital. In addition, the building's outdoor facilities have been redesigned and high quality shelter has been created. The entire project has been implemented as a partnership between the housing cooperative Bauverein Rüstringen eG and Arbeiter Samariter Bund (ASB). The housing company is responsible for the redevelopment and letting, and ASB is responsible for running and technical management of the welfare facilities. Six jobs were created within the framework of the day care centre, and the welfare centre employs 15 people.
Another important addition to the range on offer to older people was the expansion of the meeting place, which provides many varied leisure opportunities for this target group.
Source: Bauverein Rüstringen eG
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Preparatory inspections |
| 2002 | Inclusion of Wilhelmshaven in the ExWoSt research project Stadtumbau West |
| 2003 | Redevelopment of a group of buildings into a day care centre and a welfare centre |
| 2004 | Gradual conversion of 15 apartments into disabled-appropriate and disabled-friendly apartments |
| 2005 | Completion of the "Treff auf Siebethsburg" meeting place |
Source: Bauverein Rüstringen eG
Source: Bauverein Rüstringen eG
Source: Bauverein Rüstringen eG
In a housing market characterised by falling demand, the housing cooperative Bauverein Rüstringen e.G. is pursuing a consistent strategy of orienting itself towards older people as target groups. By expanding the housing supply and services offered to older people, the cooperative has succeeded in developing the neighbourhood into a "Full-Service" location for older people. The close cooperation between the housing company and elderly care organisations has been shown to be a requirement for this service approach and for the enhanced quality of life in this urban district. By means of tailored selections of one-off redevelopment measures and permanent housing and services measures, the older residents are helped to remain living in their apartments for as long as possible.
Source: Bauverein Rüstringen eG
Source: Bauverein Rüstringen eG
The project location can be directly translated into Google-maps. Project in Google-Maps
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 26386 - town: Wilhelmshaven - street: Papingastraße.
Record inserted on 17.07.2009 by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR).
Last update: 24.08.2010
