Van Dam Huis

Since September 2019 the Van Dam Huis in Haarlem (nl) has been home to a therapy centre, a clinic for children and parents, the Anthroposophical Society and the Patients’ Association.

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In 1968 the GP Joop van Dam and his wife, the eurythmy therapist Ellen van Dam, founded the first multidisciplinary therapy centre in the Netherlands. Their initiative would result in what have now – after a building-up period of sixteen years: the Van Dam Huis – a Herculean task, financially, socially and spiritually!

Four anthroposophical organizations now have their home in the Van Dam House: the Haarlem Therapeuticum with four physicians, a clinic where six family physicians and a paediatrician provide medical and educational support for parents and children, the Anthroposophical Society in the Netherlands, and the Patients’ Association. The aims of the therapy centre include the provision of high-quality interdisciplinary mainstream and Anthroposophic medicine and the constructive cooperation with health insurers.

The premises of the Anthroposophical Society include an information centre, a library and a shop. There is a joint annual festival of the Therapy Centre and the Patients’ Association.

The Van Dam Huis was designed by Jaike Dunselman in collaboration with the future users, under the direction of a building committee consisting of Christof Zwart, Laurens Putter, Bob van der Ploeg and Anneke Kraakman. The Van Dam Huis blends in organically with the surrounding buildings but stands out due to its design, proportions, light and colour, and its innovative, sustainable and energy-efficient architectural concept.

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