Koelhuis District was born from the vision of Concrete Culture—to create places where art, culture, and technology are permanently embedded within urban developments. The motivation stems from the need to preserve Eindhoven’s post-industrial heritage while offering affordable housing, makerspaces, and cultural infrastructure for the creative and tech community. It responds to gentrification, talent drain, and the growing demand for permanent cultural and technological spaces in the Brainport region.
Koelhuis District Eindhoven is composed of four key components:
Koelhuis Eindhoven – the cultural and tech hub focused on immersive experiences, new media art, and contemporary culture.
Koelhuis Village – affordable residential units designed for creative and technical talent.
Koelhuis Courtyards – makerspaces, community spaces, and offices for cultural organizations.
Koelhuis City Hub – a smart mobility and energy hub supporting sustainable transport and logistics.
The district will have a broad impact beyond culture. It will:
Strengthen the tech, design, and arts ecosystem in North Brabant.
Provide affordable housing and working spaces to retain talent.
Create a permanent incubator for creative and tech communities.
Boost tourism and economic growth through immersive experiences.
Preserve industrial heritage while promoting sustainability and inclusivity.
IX merge physical and digital worlds into a new reality. They use technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), 3D audio, projection mapping, and haptic feedback—but also draw from scenography, light, sound, performance, and physical interaction.
Immersive technologies are rapidly becoming a thriving global market, expected to grow up to tenfold in the coming years. The applications of immersive technologies span various sectors, including education, training & simulation, research & development, gaming, media, art, and entertainment. Immersive technologies can provide cost-effective training and simulate high-risk situations, which is particularly valuable in industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and construction. Immersive technologies break new boundaries by allowing access to topics that could not be experienced directly due to high risk. For example, they can be applied to enhancing STEM courses with virtual simulations in subjects such as medicine, chemistry, and physics. Low-risk virtual settings could be created to train individuals and groups in technical and scientific topics that would require a cleanroom, with invaluable economic as well as educational advantages.
Koelhuis District values talent development and strives to connect all levels of education — MBO, HBO, and WO — through collaboration, experimentation, and exchange. The arrival of Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) to the Canal Zone marks a transformative moment for the city, ensuring long-term cultural and economic impact for the next 75 years.
The collaboration between KHD and DAE focuses on four main areas:
Strengthening the regional design ecosystem by connecting education, research, and practice.
Joint educational and cultural initiatives, including workshops, exhibitions, and lectures.
Providing affordable housing for students and emerging creative professionals.
Offering makerspaces and work facilities for students, graduates, and creative entrepreneurs.
Together, KHD and DAE form a cornerstone of Eindhoven’s Technology, Design, and Knowledge (TDK) strategy, building a shared environment where learning, making, and living come together.
Koelhuis District is the first Dutch member of the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) — an international platform connecting leading culture-driven urban developments worldwide.
In a cultural district, the built environment and cultural life are interwoven on a lasting basis. It is not a temporary activation but an evolving ecosystem where art, community, and daily life coexist.
Koelhuis District embodies this idea by creating:
A permanent home for artists, makers, and innovators to live, work, and present.
Affordable housing and studios that secure long-term accessibility.
Large-scale presentation and public spaces for exhibitions, performances, and encounters.
An ongoing curatorial program that invites residents and visitors to experience culture as part of everyday life.
At its core, Koelhuis District believes placemaking has no end date — it’s an ongoing process powered by the creative energy of its community.
The Brainport region is a global hub for technology and design but lacks large-scale cultural infrastructure for immersive experiences. IX connects the tech and creative sectors, fosters new collaborations, and strengthens the region’s international position. It also supports the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science’s call for spaces that stimulate growth in the immersive sector.
The development will feature approximately 700–720 new homes ranging from 25 to 75 m², including student housing, studios, and friends’ apartments. The housing is designed for creative and technical talent, young professionals, and artists, contributing to the district’s mixed and inclusive community. Affordability and accessibility are central, ensuring that living and working within the district remain possible for a diverse group of residents
2017–2024: Heritage preservation and cultural activation of Koelhuis.
2025–2027: Start of district development and construction of the Village and City Hub.
By 2030: Completion of the district as Europe’s first immersive tech district.
The City Hub promotes shared mobility and minimizes car dependency. It includes electric shared cars and vans for makers, last-mile delivery systems, smart parcel services, extensive bicycle parking, and direct connections to the high-quality public transport (HOV) line. The goal is to reduce emissions and make the area pedestrian- and bike-friendly.
Green roofs, courtyards, and public gardens enhance biodiversity and livability. Water retention and heat-stress prevention systems are implemented throughout. The district will feature its own heat and cold storage system (WKO) and solar energy generation. By reusing the Koelhuis building, over 5,400 tons of concrete were saved.
Koelhuis Eindhoven is already functioning as a cultural and tech hub, hosting exhibitions, performances, and events such as Dutch Design Week and other media art programs. The surrounding area is under development to prepare for the larger district.
Koelhuis District aims for an inclusive participation process. Through public consultations, presentations and cultural programming, we make sure the development happens in an open and transparent way.
No. It is a mixed community of artists, technologists, entrepreneurs, residents, and students. The district encourages cross-pollination between education, research, and professional practice.
“HUGO” refers to Hugo van der Goeslaan, the location of the residential part of the Koelhuis District. It will host affordable housing for creative and tech professionals as part of the broader district plan.
They are permanent housing units designed to offer long-term, stable living and working conditions within the city ring, counteracting gentrification and the loss of creative space.
The Municipality of Eindhoven recognizes Koelhuis as a municipal monument and supports the project through urban planning, zoning, and infrastructure integration. It also acknowledges the district’s cultural and economic significance for the city’s east side.
Koelhuis District places heritage at the heart of its transformation. The Koelhuis building, once an abandoned industrial freezer warehouse, was saved from demolition in 2017 and later recognized as a municipal monument for its architectural and cultural value. Rather than being replaced, it was adaptively reused and transformed into a state-of-the-art cultural and technology hub, preserving the industrial identity of Eindhoven’s Canal Zone.
By combining heritage preservation with future-oriented sustainability — including energy-efficient systems, shared mobility, green roofs, and inclusive community design — Koelhuis District bridges the city’s industrial past with its creative and technological future.
The development is led by Bakkers | Hommen (Koelhuis District) and BPD (Nefkens location), under the conceptual vision of Concrete Culture. The project is supported by the Municipality of Eindhoven, which uses the project framework (projectkader Hugo) to guide and assess plans. Architectural design and landscaping are led by GROUP A and DELVA, respectively, with cultural and educational partnerships involving Design Academy Eindhoven and other regional institutions.
Get in contact with us at info@koelhuisdistrict.nl