OMA in collaboration with Being development has won a competition to redevelop Van der Meulen-Ansemsterrein (VDMA) in central Eindhoven, in the Netherlands. The currently partly unused plot, located in the centre of Eindhoven and marked by industrial heritage, will be transformed into a vibrant urban hub with housing, offices, and public spaces.
The VDMA site is comprised of industrial heritage buildings, like a 19th-century match factory, and the city’s first parking garage from the late 1920s. OMA’s proposal creates a multi-use area that will support creative initiatives and host innovative technology companies and address local housing needs. Featuring a Brainport Frontdesk, a sustainability hub, and a Micro Forest, that nurtures local vegetation species — the revived VDMA will be transformed into a dynamic centre of attraction.
The plan proposes to revitalise historically significant structures into cultural spaces, while creating new buildings for residential and office usage. The old match factory-one of the most important buildings on site—will be restored to its original state to house cultural, education, and retail programs. The old garage will be transformed into a flexible public space that can be configured for exhibitions, events and theatre performances. Occupying one-third of the site, the Micro Forest will be comprised of different vegetation species from Eindhoven’s natural surroundings. The urban forest will be a reminder for residents, office users, and passers-by of the city’s invaluable natural resources.
New residential buildings are designed as stacked volumes which correspond to varying scales of the site’s surroundings. The lower blocks will have glass facades that evoke Eindhoven’s industrial architecture. Facades of the upper volumes will be installed with sustainable features, including green walls, and kinetic PV panels that optimise solar gain throughout the day.
The housing blocks provide a combination of social housing, averagely-priced rental properties, private sector houses and a community home. A five-storey volume with large floor plates wrapping around the Micro Forest, will offer co-working spaces ideal for technological startups. A public route will connect all cultural, retail, and open spaces in the urban hub at different levels and link VDMA to the rest of the city centre.
https://www.archdaily.com/928974/oma-plus-being-development-to-renovate-vdma-in-eindhoven#