Hooghuis
: beleef het innovatieve Eindhoven

  • K. Kevork

Student thesis: Master

Abstract

This graduation thesis discusses the situation, the potentials and the transformation of the 'Hooghuis' office building, built in 1972 and designed by Van den Broek en Bakema Architects (now Broekbakema). These types of offices are now frequently abandoned and replaced by more flexible and modern workspaces, not necessarily office buildings, but sometimes even homes. In times of economic recession and crisis the need to adapt, to be innovative and think outside the box is pressing more than ever. Besides the rich history of the city, Hooghuis has a history of its own, which is a result of an era when urban philosophies included rigorous and extreme adjustments to the urban tissue to give room to growing service-oriented economy, so called 'cityvorming' era. This particular office building accentuates and emphasizes this period of time in Eindhoven. In addition, as the economic situation changes where creativity and communication of knowledge are highly appreciated, a shift in spatial necessities occurs, that is when Hooghuis has to seize the opportunity and adapt to present-day requirements. An office building that lacks the charisma, the ability to adapt and has an unattractive location is often leveled with the ground. However, the position of Hooghuis has the advantage of being on the crossroads of the historic city centre and once industrially driven urban districts. Hence, the proposed transformation which is partially based on a thorough urban bottom-up analysis and partially on personal interpretation of contemporary architectural space and programmatic tendencies. Experience and discovery of architectural forms of the building and the various characters of the city of Eindhoven - which is more than a birthplace of the international Philips Company, but a city that is characterized by design, technology and innovation - is the main concept of the proposed architectural and pragmatic redesignation of Hooghuis.
Date of Award31 Aug 2012
Original languageDutch
SupervisorPieter J.V. van Wesemael (Supervisor 1), H.H. Yegenoglu (Supervisor 2) & F. Suurenbroek (Supervisor 2)

Cite this

'