Between 2006 and 2013, more than 60 projects were completed in the Wilhelmsburg, Veddel and Harburger Binnenhafen districts of the city of Hamburg in Germany. These included the "Am Inselpark" retirement home run by KerVita, a company that ranks as one of the most experienced in the industry, offering true peace of mind for the elderly in a secure and safe environment. Founded in 2005 by the Kerling family, KerVita specialises in planning, building and operating in-patient care facilities.
It already has 11 retirement homes in North Germany, and it plans to open another five by the end of 2015. All of its facilities are run in accordance with the KerVita Code. This is a guarantee of quality that fully embraces people's wish to see elderly members of their family receive the best possible care – and it also represents a promise to everyone who comes into contact with the company, including its staff.
Since it opened, the "Am Inselpark" retirement home has accommodated a total of 100 residents, many of whom are admitted for respite or short-term care. It currently has 54 residents, with a few free places still available. Most of its customers are attracted to this new care facility as they enter a new period of their lives where they are starting to depend on some basic assistance, so their care needs tend to be relatively straightforward.
The utility rooms were fully equipped by MEIKO, just like the utility rooms in all KerVita's other homes.
They still seem to be in almost pristine condition, though this could simply be because the highly motivated staff leave them so immaculate after every use! So why did they opt for machines from the Offenburg, Germany-based manufacturer of cleaning and disinfection technology? "Basically because they've had such great experiences with MEIKO machines in the past, and we've drawn up a framework agreement to lock those benefits in," says Jens Jacobsen from the MEIKO subsidiary in Hamburg.
And that wasn't the only reason that Wilhelmsburg chose meiko. The architect of the "Am Inselpark" retirement home gave an organic shape to many different parts of the building, allowing it to sweep powerfully and gracefully into its surroundings.
One of the results of this design is that the exterior walls do not feature any right angles, which was a challenge when it came to outfitting the utility rooms.
"We took on the challenging task of ensuring that everything was measured with the greatest possible precision," says Jacobsen, praising the technical sales team in Offenburg and his colleagues in the production plant who supplied the perfectly fitted slop sinks, cleaning and disinfection technology and all the matching countertops and work surfaces. Tailor-made with millimetre precision, these units now form the centrepiece of the utility room.
