It is becoming increasingly likely that Design Academy will leave Eindhoven. The world-famous design school may move to Roermond.
There would currently be no place for Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) in Eindhoven and the municipality does not seem to be interested in a major investment.
At the beginning of April, the Municipality of Eindhoven announced that it wanted to fund a move of the course to Microlab. But as it looks now, Microlab at Strijp-S is not as attractive as expected. The amount that the municipality wanted to invest in the move: €4.000,000, would be far too little. Microlab is also said to be in poor condition and does not meet DAE’s wishes. Sources in and around Design Academy tell Studio040 this.
In addition, there is the problem of student housing. It would be a thorn in the side of the academy that design students are often homeless at the start of their studies. While TU/e received some help in that context, for example with housing at the former Philips headquarters and the construction of two residential towers on its campus, DAE saw such support lagging behind and that would sting.
Two and a half years
Design Academy Eindhoven and the municipality seem to have different ideas about the efforts required for a longer stay of the prestigious design school in the city. Moreover, that problem has been in the air for about two and a half years: that is how long the municipality and academy have been discussing a new location for the training. There are serious concerns from and around the academy about a possible move to Roermond.
Benefit
Design breeding ground Residency for the People is organising a benefit evening on Friday evening in an attempt to raise money to keep the DAE in Eindhoven for longer. Lucas Maassen organises the evening. In addition to being the operator of the creative breeding ground, he also teaches at DAE.
End of design city
“DAE does not give much publicity to the developments”, Maassen says. “But the municipality will not give the academy a different location than it currently has. It is close to my heart, because I come from Eindhoven myself, I am a designer, and I think that the entire design ecosystem in the city will be at risk when Design Academy leaves”.
“The Dutch Design Week largely revolves around the graduation projects of DAE students. This guarantees the quality of that week. It is also the only non-commercial design event worldwide, which makes it unique. I don’t think it can take place in Eindhoven if Design Academy is no longer located in Eindhoven”.
Roermond
“The search for accommodation has been going on for two and a half years and Design Academy has not been able to reach an agreement with the municipality for a long time”, well-known designer Kiki van Eijk, also a teacher at the academy, says. “A decision must be made before the summer and from what I hear, the parties are not yet getting closer. I think they are really seriously considering moving to Roermond”.
Microlab
And that is an incomprehensible situation, Van Eijk thinks. “The lease in Witte Dame ends next year. In addition, €4.000,000 was far too little to move into Microlab, the renovation that that building needed turned out to be much larger – there turned out to be too many snags”.
Eindhoven’s top designer Piet Hein Eek, who studied at Design Academy, was recently forced to write a letter explaining the state of affairs to important parties in the city. Eek, who has his workshop and shop in Eindhoven, does not see the move happening so quickly.
Fail
“It makes much more sense to sit down together. I don’t think the negotiations have been conducted by the right people in recent years. The importance of the academy has not been sufficiently recognised and there has been insufficient ability to get closer to each other, on both sides of the table”, Eek says.
“But I do think that it has now been realised that Design Academy and Eindhoven are extremely important to each other. To illustrate: I have many DAE students working for me. DAE is the linchpin in the city’s design ecosystem,” Eek says.
DAE response
Design Academy informs Studio040 that a decision will be made before the summer, and that a longer stay in Eindhoven seems far away at the moment. There is no mention of a move to Roermond. “Although it is our absolute preference to stay in Eindhoven, there are no feasible options on the table at the moment”.
“Our constructive conversation with the Municipality of Eindhoven, which started more than two years ago, continues and we strongly hope that this will lead to a positive solution in the coming weeks. As a precaution, alternatives are being investigated elsewhere to prevent DAE from being left without housing”, a spokesperson for DAE said.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
