Somewhat hidden within a block of buildings are the former stables of the Hollandia milk factory, which dates from the first half of the 20th century. Originally, the stables were used for housing the horses that transported milk through the city. After the Second World War, the complex lost its function; later it became, among other things, a furniture shop. The recent intervention by Office-u transforms the old stables into a contemporary health centre, in the context of that existing heritage.

The health centre is located in an urban context that is as layered as its history: heavy and light industry, social housing estates and town houses along wide avenues. The characteristic outer shell has been retained, as have the wooden roof trusses, the street façade with its limited window openings and the sloping floors that once served to drain manure. The existing situation, with two elongated, identical building volumes, gave rise to a design in which functions were inserted as separate ‘pockets’. This makes the intervention legible and reversible.