Baekelandplein

Commissioned by the city council in conjunction with a project developer and a housing corporation, a very diverse programme has been realized in Woensel-West, a problem area in Eindhoven, consisting of fifty apartments, 3000 m2 of offices, studios, a market hall where stalls can be rented by the metre, a police station, and an official area for prostitution. On the Baekeland Square side, the exterior of the complex has been made hard and slick in order to block off the traffic on the ring road. Behind this smooth shell the complex opens up around a collective deck with parking space underneath. The prostitution area, a regulated version of activities that were already taking place here, is situated out of the way, with its back to the houses. Here, the studios are the buffer between this fringe of society and normal life. This mix of unlike functions and the way in which the complex stands out from its environment make the Baekeland Square a typical Eindhoven project.