Oude Dijk Housing / Shift Architecture Urbanism

The first housing project for the monastery complex Oude Dijk in Tilburg, home to the congregation of the Sisters of Charity, has been completed. It is part of the first step in the transformation of the monumental complex in the city center of Tilburg, currently still populated by 120 Sisters. The master plan by Shift aims at realizing elderly and care homes for the aging Sisters and safeguarding the monasterial qualities of the site while at the same time opening the introverted complex towards the city, both physically and in terms of (new) residents. The first apartment building for 36 Sisters connects to the city, the monumental motherhouse and chapel, the monastery garden, and the adjacent nursing home. Its sober and subtly differentiated architecture in brick is informed by the rich historical context without becoming pastiche or retro.