Eindhoven is famous for being the headquarters of Philips Company for many years. This is one of the reasons why the city is one of the biggest and economically most important in Netherlands. Although the architecture is overall traditional, some architects developed new ideas for the city. The select buildings are examples of Eindhoven contemporary architecture. Some projects have complex shapes or have used digital fabrication in the design process. This visit was part of a study trip. In 2015, Maycon Sedrez was granted by a Science Without Borders Scholarship to study at the University of Technology of Eindhoven, among other topics, the Dutch architecture. The focus was in contemporary buildings with complex shapes (1).

Sports Facility Strijp (2012) by LIAG Architects

The sports facility Strijp is a medium size complex with curved façades. The colorful finishing is one of its features, but the shape of the building is integrated with the surroundings. The side of the façade without windows gives you a different notion of scale, in which you see the colorful striped wave resting over the grass (2).

Sports Facility Strijp. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Piazza Shopping Mall, 2004; Media Market, 2005; September Plein, 2009; De Admirant entrance (or the Blob), 2010, by Fuksas

The architect and designer Gio Ponti was flying over the Netherlands when he got inspired by the landscape to design the façade tiles of the De Bijenkorf in 1969. Eindhoven was completely destroyed during the Second World War, so Ponti’s design for the shopping and the square in front was part of the plan to rebuild of the city. Then in 2004, Fuksas renovated the structure with the construction of the Piazza Shopping near the De Bijenkorf, making some changes in the square September Plein in 2009. The Piazza is at the same time a shopping mall, and a connection between the center and the north part of the city. The canopy supported by tall metal columns makes the interior fully integrated with the square given the impression of and open sky gallery. In 2010, Fuksas design the entrance for the De Admirant, 5 years after the conclusion of the Media Market in 2005 (which is connected with the Piazza by a footbridge). The old De Admirant building is called the Brown Gentleman (Bruine Heer), because it stands near the White Lady (Witte Dame) building which is the former Philips lamp factory and today is used as a commercial and residential structure. Nearby you can visit the Strijp-s urban renovation, a place which the buildings of the Philips factory are being renovated to become housing, offices, galleries, restaurants, etc (3).

The Blob and Bruine Heer, view from Media Market footbridge. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

September Plein, Piazza and Bijenkorf. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Dynamo, 2005, by Diederendirrix

Dynamo is a community center for teenagers and young people to be involved in cultural activities as music, dancing and sports. The façade is composed by twelve variations of stone and the entrance is signed by the red corner. This solid cube is somehow integrated with the square in front that is used by restaurants to put tables outside (4).

Dynamo. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Vesteda, 2006, by Jo Coenen

Vesteda is a residential building with two apartments per floor and a penthouse, the ground floor is designated to commercial activities. It is the fourth tallest building in Eindhoven with 90 meters. The design of the floorplan is the shape of a diamond which gives the building an aerodynamic appearance (5).

Vesteda. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Van Abbe Museum, 2003, by Abel Cahen

Van Abbe Museum is located in the center of Eindhoven and is a place for exhibitions of contemporary art, but also has a small collection of paintings of Dutch artists. The museum entrance is part of the 1936 building design by architect A. J. Kropholler. The new museum is integrated with the old building, with the canal and with the Stratumsedijk Street that has a lot of pubs, bars and restaurants. A passage between the museum and the street is available by the shortest covered bridge in the world designed by the architect and artist John Körmeling in 2006 (6).

Van Abbe Museum. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Parktheater, 2006, by Architecten En En

The Parktheater was built in 1989 and renovated in 2006 by Architecten En En. The use of materials and textures and simplicity of shapes makes this theater a good example of the contemporary architecture in Eindhoven, which usually integrates buildings and renovates old structures. The texture in the big volume and the pattern in the glass façade are resultant of the new fabrication process in contemporary architecture. The interior of the building is also worth a visit (7).

Parktheater. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Effenaar, 2005, by sw + MVRDV

This multifunctional building is a mixture of concert hall, bar and cafe, usually hosting musical attractions. MVRDV designed a gray cube with the black stairs wrapped around the cube faces, creating a visual element for the façades and letting the center of building free for the concerts. Another building that the architecture is very interesting, the interiors were designed by Anthony Kleinepier and Bob Copray (8).

Effenaar. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Fontys Sports College, 2012, by Mecanoo

In this sports facility, Mecanoo choose to work with a dark brick giving a solid appearance for the building. The bricks are placed in different positions throughout the façades to draw the outline of people doing sports. When visiting this building you can go to the beautiful park nearby, Genneperparken. Also, could be interesting to visit the Eindhoven Museum, an open sky museum with replicas of houses from different periods in history, from pre-historic to medieval. There are actors demonstrating the medieval lifestyle, for instance, how people would produce fire (9).

Fontys Sports College. Eindhoven, April 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

De Ranken, 2009, by AMA Group

When you see this housing building from distance you get an impression of two Xs in the landscape. The balconies are integrated with the park nearby and the simple effect of positioning each floor differently gives a unique shape for the towers. Towers are not a usual typology in Eindhoven, the dutch wet and sandy ground has little stability. Consider to visit the Metaforum, inside the TU/e Campus, a renovation project done by Ector Hoogstad. Also you will see, in front of the Campus entrance, one of the large scale and funny sculptures of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, De Flying Pins (10).

De Ranken. Eindhoven, March 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Metaforum TU/e. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

De Flying Pins. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Student Housing Cederlaan, 2012, by Vissers and Roelands

An old office building was refurbished to become a student Housing, the colorful window detail stands out from the dark brick façade. This building is near the Evoluon UFO designed in the 60’s by Louis Christiaan Kalff, which was an idea of Philips for a museum, today is an event hall (11).

Student Housing Cederlaan. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Student Housing Cederlaan. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Evoluon UFO. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Van Gogh Bicycle Path, 2014, by Studio Roosegaarde

This is a short bicycle path that you can find when you go from Eindhoven to Nuenen, a village where Van Gogh lived for a period. Roosegaarde chose the Starry Night painting as an inspiration for the glowing pattern which is visible in the dark because of the purple light installed and motion sensors (12).

Van Gogh Glowing Path. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Hovenring, 2012, by IPV Delft

This bridge for cyclists and pedestrians is supported by a steel structure with 70 meters of high. The special light details make the bridge not only functional, but also a sculpture in the landscape at night. The idea is that the cyclists can cross the highway intersection in a safe way (13).

Hovenring at night. Eindhoven, March 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

Hovenring. Eindhoven, May 2015
Foto/Photo Maycon Sedrez

notes

1
More information: <www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zcKugjxE5R5k.klki_F3U2Hds>. Ver também: SCHIPHORST, N.; VULLINGS, M.; JANSSENS, E.; TROMPERT, R. Architecture Eindhoven Guide. Mimoa. Drukkerij Lecturis: Eindhoven, 2010.

2
More information: <www.liag.nl/en/assignments/item41/>.

3
More information: <www.fuksas.com/en/Projects/Shopping-Mall-La-Piazza-Eindhoven>; <www.fuksas.com/en/Projects/Media-Markt-Eindhoven>; <www.fuksas.com/en/Projects/Admirant-Entrance-Building-Eindhoven>; <www.fuksas.com/en/Projects/18-Septemberplein-Eindhoven>; <www.strijp-s.nl/nl/home>.

4
More information: <www.diederendirrix.nl/en/projects/dynamo/locatie:eindhoven>.

5
More information: <www.jocoenen.com/jcau/index5.html#>.

6
More information: <http://vanabbemuseum.nl/> <www.johnkormeling.nl>.

7
More information: <www.architecten-en-en.nl/projecten/monumenten-en-hergebruik/parktheater-eindhoven.html> https://www.parktheater.nl .

8
More information: <www.effenaar.nl> <www.anthonykleinepier.nl> <www.bobcopray.nl> <www.mvrdv.nl/projects/effenaar>.

9
More information: <www.mecanoo.nl/Projects/project/59/Fontys-School-of-Sport-Studies?c=146>.

10
More information: <www.ectorhoogstad.com>; <www.oldenburgvanbruggen.com>; <www.ama-group.info/#nl/projecten/binnenstedelijk/de-ranken-eindhoven>.

11
More information: <www.vissersroelands.nl/hoofdpagina.htm>.

12
More information: <www.studioroosegaarde.net/project/van-gogh-path>.

13
More information: <http://ipvdelft.nl/portfolio-item/hovenring-2>.

about the author

Maycon Sedrez is a PhD candidate at the University of Campinas. In 2015 he did a research internship at TU Eindhoven about complexity in contemporary architecture. The author thanks CNPq, the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (203267/2014-1) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (Grant 2014/13572-5).