From a shopping center to a cultural neighborhood
More and more residential and cultural projects advocate sustainability. A clear example of this is the proposal launched a year ago Henning Larsen in Copenhagen: Fælledby, a wooden neighborhood that would give new life to an old city dump.
This time, it's the MVRDV study, also in charge of the project The Dutch Mountains in Eindhoven , who signs an initiative that highlights the importance of environmentally friendly architecture.
The complex will have a "musical mountain"
The commercial center of that same Dutch city will be a neighborhood where culture and green will prevail. A multipurpose building that will rise under a glass structure, a musical mountain and parks that they will seize the rooftops will be some of its main attractions.
The plan is the result of an agreement reached in 2020 between CBRE Global Investors , the municipality of Eindhoven , the province of North Brabant, the Muziekgebouw Eindhoven and VNO-NCW in order to develop a sustainable solution for the obsolete Heuvel shopping center and the Muziekgebouw , a music venue located in the existing shopping center.
Although for the moment project completion date unknown , the strategic vision was presented on May 18, eliciting an enthusiastic response from the mayor and councilors of Eindhoven and thus paving the way for a feasibility study of the Muziekgebouw which is expected before the end of the year.
In short, as stated by MVRDV, the shopping center will be transformed into an urban neighborhood where shopping, culture and leisure will come together. The reason? The rise of online shopping : the list of sleepy shopping malls it is becoming broader, a fact that has been enhanced as a result of the pandemic.
To carry out this metamorphosis, existing buildings will be expanded and connected with public spaces and new cultural constructions.
A new meeting point for residents of Eindhoven
"Our vision is one of an open and accessible commercial, residential and cultural neighbourhood. We will achieve this by radically opening up the existing buildings, transforming the complex into seven new blocks and expanding the roofs upwards” , comment Winy Maas, founding partner of MVRDV.
“We want to make the complex attractive again for all Eindhovenians who want to go shopping and go out, and at the same time guarantee the interaction with the city center", she points.
On the other hand, covered passages from the mall will be replaced by open streets , turning the neighborhood into an active nucleus of the city.
The neighborhood from a bird's eye view
In the heights, the Muziekgebouw -or musical mountain- will be the main character. Visitors will not only be able to climb it to enjoy some inspiring panoramas , but this space of musical essence will allow the creation of a broader program of activities.
The Muziekgebouw will be a living room for the citizens of Eindhoven: during the day, the halls of this building extension will be transformed into the ideal setting to work or relax.
With this new mix of functions, "Het Heuvelkwartier & De Muziekberg" ("The neighborhood of the hill and the mountain of music" , as the proposal has been baptized) will attract residents.
This will be the interior of the building
"Culture makes a city attractive, and a city as fast growing as Eindhoven deserves a central place for music that is more visible" Winy Maas concludes.