How can residents personalize their living environment without compromising safety, maintenance, or visual harmony?
Developed in collaboration with Woonzorg Nederland, the Floora project explores how apartment entrances can become places of recognition and identity. Rather than allowing ad-hoc decorations that may conflict with fire safety regulations, the students developed a modular panel system that enables safe and controlled personalization while maintaining a coherent appearance throughout the building.
The concept consists of interchangeable 60 × 60 cm panels that can be integrated around apartment entrances. Residents can select from different panel types, materials, and functions, ranging from natural surfaces and wayfinding elements to photo displays and small storage features. This flexibility allows residents to express their individuality while helping create a more welcoming and familiar living environment.
A key aspect of the project was the exploration of sensory qualities. One of the proposed panel materials incorporates Organoid natural surfaces, introducing texture, visual richness, and subtle natural scents into otherwise anonymous corridors. By stimulating multiple senses, the design aims to improve comfort, recognition, and wellbeing, particularly for elderly residents.
Throughout the development process, the team tested a variety of materials, finishes, mounting systems, and fastening methods to ensure compliance with fire safety, acoustic, durability, and maintenance requirements. Different prototype configurations were evaluated together with residents and housing managers, whose feedback helped shape the final design towards flexibility, ease of use, and long-term practicality.
Floora demonstrates how a simple architectural intervention can transform apartment entrances into meaningful places that support identity, orientation, and a stronger sense of home while remaining safe, manageable, and scalable for housing organisations.
Students: Juul Schuurman, Mette Jaspers, Tieme van Wijnen and Nick den Hoed
Supervisors: Dr.-Ing. Marcel Bilow and Ir. Nadia Remmerswaal
Client and Sponsor: Woonzorg Nederland
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