OMA to redevelop industrial site in eindhoven with housing, offices, and a 'micro forest'

OMA, together with a host of firms including FABRICations, has won a competition to redevelop ‘van der meulen-ansemsterrein’ (VDMA) — a major site at the center of eindhoven in the netherlands. the project, led by OMA partner david gianotten, will see the partly unused industrial site transformed into a vibrant urban hub with housing, offices, and public spaces. including a sustainability hub and a ‘micro forest’, the revived VDMA will seek to address local housing needs, while supporting creative initiatives and tech companies.

image © proloog (also main image)

the design for the site of approximately 75,000 square meters was developed by OMA for being development, together with diederendirrix, FABRICations, landscape architect DELVA, and designer collective NUL ZES. ‘VDMA offers a unique opportunity to revive a centrally located site in eindhoven that is full of potential,’ says david gianotten. ‘our plan builds on the history and assets of the city as a center for technological innovation and industrial design, and introduces exciting public programs to the area. the redeveloped VDMA-site will offer the city a platform for engagement with the most innovative ideas in technology and culture.’

image © proloog

the masterplan proposes to re-purpose historically significant structures as cultural spaces, while creating new buildings for residential and office use. a match factory from the 19th century will be restored to its original state to house cultural, education, and retail programs, while a former garage will be transformed into a flexible public space for exhibitions, events, and theater performances. occupying one-third of the site, a micro forest, comprised of different vegetation species from eindhoven’s surroundings, will serve as a reminder of the city’s natural resources.

image © proloog

new residential buildings are designed as stacked volumes which correspond to varying scales of the site’s context, while the lower blocks have glass façades that evoke eindhoven’s industrial architecture. importantly, the façades of the upper volumes will be installed with sustainable features, including green walls, and kinetic photovoltaic panels that optimize solar gain throughout the day.

image © OMA

the housing blocks provide a combination of social housing, averagely-priced rental properties, private sector houses, and a community home. meanwhile, a five-storey volume with large floor plates wrapping around the micro forest, will offer co-working spaces for tech 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 center.

image © OMA

OMA’s david gianotten is currently leading two other large-scale urban development projects in the netherlands: feyenoord city — the redevelopment of rotterdam-zuid — and the transformation of the former bijlmer bajes prison complex in amsterdam into a residential and cultural district. see all projects by OMA on designboom here.

image © proloog

image © proloog

image by frans parthesius, courtesy of OMA

image by frans parthesius, courtesy of OMA

image © OMA

image © OMA

project info:

name: VDMA (van der meulen-ansemsterrein)
location: eindhoven, the netherlands
status: competition
client: being development
site: van der meulen-ansemsterrein
program: masterplan
OMA partner-in-charge: david gianotten
project architect: mariano sagasta
team: bozar ben zeev, sandra bsat, james carden, joana cidade, caterina corsi, benedetta gatti, federica giorgetta, lex lagendijk, jonathan levine, juliet moore, michael den otter, karolina szczygiel, chuchu wu

collaborators —
collaborating architects: diederendirrix, FABRICations
landscape architect: DELVA
community program video, graphics: NUL ZES
building physics and sustainability: DGMR
structural engineer: IMD
modular construction: NEZZT
installations: techniplan
traffic consultant: rebel group
rendering: proloog
model photography: frans parthesius