Senior care home “St. Thomas More”, Gaußstrasse, Saarbrücken
Living on the edge of the forest: New house in Saarbrücken
The Saarland capital is one of the most wooded cities in Germany, with around 46% of the city area covered by trees - a plus in quality of life that should not be underestimated. The Saarbrücken city forest, which is located in the northwest of the city and also surrounds the entire university campus, is particularly important for this high proportion of green space. Between the forest and the city center to the southeast lies the St. Johann district, with its Am Homburg district bordering the edge of the forest. In the middle of this green and quiet residential area, on Gaußstraße, lies a disused community center of the Catholic parish of St. Thomas Morus, which belongs to the parish of St. Johann. The HBB has purchased this property in order to build a new senior citizens' care home that is integrated into the community work. The associated kindergarten on the neighboring property will remain and will receive a new access road.
Community work embedded in the house
The architecture for the new nursing home is modern and confidently objective. The straight, cubic building with a flat roof and white facade is as inviting as it is spacious. Even from the outside, the large window fronts show that the interiors offer plenty of light - and of course meet the latest standards. The entire development was carried out in close coordination between HBB, the parish and the city, and the project was also received positively by the Saarbrücken design advisory board. In order to protect the interests of the community, a spacious "room of silence" will also be created in the building, which will serve as a contact and meeting point for future community work. The furnishing will be carried out in close coordination with the community - various important objects from previous church work will also be brought there. A fountain on the property will be handled with similar sensitivity. This will be dismantled and integrated into the new, high-quality outdoor area of the nursing home. Overall, the home offers a gross floor area of over 7.500 m2 A total of 126 nursing places in 111 resident rooms. In addition to the space for the community, there is - as is usual in all homes - a cafeteria that is also open to the neighborhood, and the quiet garden area, which here almost borders on the forest.
