Big Heart

Super-urban location

The plan has a very high density of homes, right next to the Philips Stadium, by the railway, above a parking garage and bordering Philipsdorp. That calls for a connecting link. In addition, two existing elements on the plot largely determine the layout: the entrance and exit of the underground parking and an old plane tree on the corner. Both have been carefully integrated into the new buildings and gardens.

How we create a recognizable place

The volume connects to the mid-rise residential buildings next to the stadium. The strong urban wall along the street shields a quiet inner area from noise. Through the positioning and compartmentalization of the three separate building parts, we create calm gardens and a legible scale. At the end, there are also four special townhouses, marking the connection with the adjacent Lijsterbes neighborhood.

Restless site, balanced facade

Along the facades, we introduced variation and coherence with minimal interventions. But also calm. This busy environment calls for that. We do this, for example, with subtly recessed surfaces in the brickwork, horizontal concrete bands in part of the plan and a regular distribution of the balconies.

The ceramic benjamin

The townhouses at the end facing the Lijsterbes neighborhood have facades of green ceramic. Using two shades of green, we create a barcode pattern on the facade, which continues in the fence around the garden. The barcode stands for ‘040 De Jonghlaan,’ a contraction of Eindhoven's area code and the street name. At the same time, the barcode refers to the digitalization of Eindhoven's most characteristic industry. From light city to high-tech campus.

Three landscapes in one

S&P Landscape Architecture created three different landscapes within the plan. The public park garden on the corner is enclosed by an elegant fence and becomes a flower-rich, lush environment around the old plane tree. The residents' garden one level higher has a glass greenhouse and enough space for residents to use together as they see fit. The third landscape climbs up along the facades with climbing plants to sedum roofs where water is collected and retained.