Cultural Heritage Agency decides to give the status of a national monument to former Philips head office on Boschdijk.
There have been plans already for some time to give the building this status. The building is part of a long list of national monuments from the period of reconstruction of the Netherlands.
The building dates back to 1964 and served as the headquarters of Philips Netherlands until 2001. The building was also the tallest in the city for a long time. Soon it will be redeveloped by Bekke & Partners from Eindhoven and Ten Brinke from Eindhoven and Helmond respectively. The project developers are still contemplating on how they should develop it, probably a housing complex
Next to the Philips building, the new Vredeoord neighbourhood has been built in recent years. There will also be housing around the building. Housing corporation Trudo has purchased land for this purpose.
Hanging building
At the official designation event as a national monument, the various people present were enthusiastic. According to architectural historian Emil Uriot of the Cultural Heritage Agency, the building’s monument status is more than justified. “It is, so to speak, a hanging building,” says Uriot, referring to the narrow base and thick ‘upper body’ of the building. “You see such a construction more often nowadays, but when the building was built it was rare.”
Eindhoven icon
“What makes it special is that it is really part of the reconstruction culture. The building’s position is also important, with a view of all the places that were important to Philips in the past.” According to Uriot, the building’s typical construction, together with its size and the place where it stands, make it an Eindhoven of Eindhoven.
“I come from Eindhoven myself, and when I think of the city, I also think of this building. I grew up with it. In addition, the building was used by Philips, which is, of course, Eindhoven through and through,” says Uriot.
Source: Studio040
Translated by Simge Taşdemir
