Bouwinvest Healthcare Fund invests in senior homes in Pijnacker

The Bouwinvest Healthcare Fund has acquired 98 lifecycle-proof homes in the WijCK project in Pijnacker from Dura Vermeer Bouw Zuid West B.V. More than 90% of the homes will be rented in the mid-rental segment to senior citizens with and without care needs.

WijCK will be a lively and green neighbourhood close to the Pijnacker Zuid metro station. In total, Dura Vermeer is developing and building around 330 homes for various target groups spread across four residential buildings. The focus of the project is on meetings: the ‘Wij’ (we)  in WijCK reflects the feeling of togetherness.

Thanks to its location close to the metro, the homes are directly connected to the cities of The Hague and Rotterdam. In addition, residents will benefit from the excellent amenities in the immediate vicinity, such as a supermarket, pharmacy, chemist and both a dentist's and a GP practice.

Christian Schouten, Head of Dutch Transaction Management at Bouwinvest, says: “We are currently facing a significant shortage of suitable senior housing, especially in the mid-rental segment. It is crucial that we realise projects like WijCK to meet this growing need. The Bouwinvest Healthcare Fund is actively committed to investing in this segment, and by doing so stimulating the necessary flow in the housing market.”

Nicolle Terlouw, real estate development director at Dura Vermeer, says: “WijCK is a place where the main focus is on meeting other people. We are introducing the village-like qualities of Pijnacker, where people take care of each other, in WijCK too. We are doing this by creating meeting spaces, such as a communal roof terrace with a greenhouse, deep ‘living’ galleries and a green car-free ground level. In Bouwinvest, we have found an institutional investor that understands the importance of meetings and is responding to this at building level by creating a communal living room for residents, where activities are organised and residents can meet each other. This strengthens the area concept and secures it for the long term.”

From formal to informal care

Not only is the healthcare real estate market facing a shortage of lifecycle-proof homes, but also structural staff shortages. To respond to this, the Bouwinvest Healthcare Fund has introduced a community concept in several projects. This concept aims to bring residents into contact with each other, so that they can look after each other and keep an eye on things. In this way, senior citizens can continue to live independently at home for longer. And should the residents’ care needs increase, the complex also offers several options on this front. A care institution is ready to provide residents with home care when if and when they need it. As a result, on-call care is available in the building 24 hours a day.

Construction on the project is scheduled to start in late 2023, with completion expected in 2026.