The New Building
- A) General Information
- B) The New Building
- C) Technical Information
- D) Schedule Of The Building Process
- E) Costs (Including Taxes)
- F) Publications & Awards
- G) Plans & Photos
a architect(s)
- 18 Firm
- Ector Hoogstad Architecten, www.ectorhoogstad.com
- 19 Project Architect
- Joost Ector
- 20 Type of project
- renovation
b aims of the new building
- 21 Short description of the main objectives and purposes of the project
To create a building with facilities for the academic community of the TUE especially for students and for the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. The old W-Hal, the former technology hall of the faculty of Mechanical Engineering (cultural heritage) is renovated and extended to the new building called "MetaForum".
In the lower part of the building are the following facilities grouped together: University Library, Student Information Center, Notebook Service Center, Dictations Shop, Reproshop, Facilities for Honors Program (TUE program for excellent students) and the Common Room (facility for foreign students). There are various types of seats for visitors (study, relax, group rooms). The ground floor will offer 8 lecture rooms.
On the top is a separate building element for the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
c special features
- 22 Site
- Location of the building: Campus of Eindhoven, University of Technology close to city centre. There is excellent access to the university by train and busses.
- 23 Architecture
The unique spatial qualities of the existing W-Hall, such as the pleasant incidence of light through the "chessboard roof", will come into their own even more following the transformation.
Ingeniously concealed technology leaves the transparent and airy character of the former W-Hall building intact. As usual throughout the campus, the first floor forms the main traffic level, with corridors connecting it with the surrounding buildings. From this level, it will be possible to make a spectacular descent into the library below, which is housed partly in a new basement (under the existing building!).
An adventurous staircase leads up from the first floor to the (newly built) faculty of Mathematics & Computer Science, which will be raised above the hall by means of twenty slender columns. The faculty programme is compressed here into a very compact building, which is transected by a small but unique atrium to provide sufficient daylight. What appears to be a fairly closed facade creates a dramatic contrast between the fragility of the substructure and the massive metal "block" on top.
