MARJAN SARAB ARCHITECTURE

Expat Boulevard
Eindhoven, Netherlands

2013

 

Design of complex is not created as an independent concept, but it is formed in and through the urban context. The ensemble of buildings which attempt in a careful manner to respond to the qualities of the context and the program.

 

The qualities in the large scale are multiform: Vestdijk as urban avenue, the Raiffeisen Street with its many faces, Dommelstraat as one of the most recognizable nightlife streets of Eindhoven, the Station, the Tram Street and the Dommel Zone. The shopping mall Heuvel Gallery on the other side of the Vestdijk only shows the excellent level of facilities in the area.

 

In the restoration plan of area itself, the old factory has been once more given a life. The hall is used as a covered plaza area with outdoor climate. The hall is comparable with the French and Italian market halls: unpretentious but fascinating. An archaic element in center field.

 

The covered plaza forms the spatial and functional hub of the new complex. All of the new functions are in the hallway, and thus also at the same time linked together. The hall is partially filled with large "furniture" on three floors; buildings in the building which via footbridges connect with each other.

The public nature of the hall creates a new route between the Vestdijk and Dommelstraat, through two large open doors on either side of the hall. The hall was built next to the switch programs of housing, culture and commerce also the five urban spaces in the plan.

 

The plan has three new squares which all are directly linked to three sides of the factory:

 

• A lively crowed aimed square, behind the new wall on the Vestdijk. The square provides access to the factory, the private and collective spheres of residential functions, hospitality and commercial features and the underground parking garage.

• an entrance plaza where it redesigned Raiffeisenstraat to enter the new cultural world. The square will enhance the use and perception of the street. The street gets an interesting role in the urban fabric.

• The factory square behind the hall, the peaceful character of a cultural patio. Its interesting characteristic point are the three following points: First, the restoration of a tall factory chimney to accentuate the industrial roots of the place. Secondly, the open gates to the green gardens making the domain of the residents and the public have a relationship. And thirdly, the idea to draw a path to the Tramstraat whereby the complex attach itself to Dommel.

 

In addition to the three public square spaces, the plan has two almost identical residential courts. These private gardens are surrounded by particularly dwellings, often with a private garden behind the house.

 

Expat boulevard is an initiation for Expats who come to Eindhoven to study, work and live. Therefore, the complex offers different types of housing suitable for students or families. To make an Expat integrate faster and better with Netherland and its culture and feel like home, facilities such as Hub for Expats and Holland Expat Center South has been located on the front side of complex.