Eindhoven University of Technology | Masterproject I
Professor: J. Bosman
The urban design was made in colaboration with: A. Afrasiabi, M. Bagheri, S. Nikouyeh, A.Santarmos.
Program: The project deals with the importance of Hahnenstrasse street in the urban fabric and the way an architect should treat such areas. Moreover, the differences in the program and in the building scale inside the specific area are a challenge for new architectural gestures. The Masterproject aims at the revitalization of the area around the Hahnenstrasse.The final assignment contains a complete urban plan that will be designed in groups and an individual proposal of particular buildings.

Urban design

After conducting the analysis, we decided that as the residential part of the city was the most neglected, we would like to revitalize it. For that reason, we ended up with the idea of designing an open air passage throughout the block.
The buildings will form a wall to the streets and in that way an introverted character will be developed. The basic entrances of the block will be landmarked by the extension of the open market that stands on the other side of the street and a park.
 

Architectural design

For the individual part of the project I decided to deal with the residential building of Wilhem Riphan that would be the only one preserved in the block. The interference to the 8-storey height building of fifties was a challenge for me.
The old building was characterized by the repetition on the façade in the same rhythm. Moreover, the interior façade had a secondary role as it was used for the circulation, the entrances and the dark rooms of the apartments.
As the inside area of the block has now been altered to a passage full of life, I decided to design the back façade as the main one. In my design the circulation is not changed but the facades have now a more vigorous rhythm because of the projections of the volumes. After this transformation, the residents have their own balconies and gardens and they can also take advantage of the common spaces of each floor.
The ground and first floor of the building host shops that are redesigned with their entrances towards the interior of the block. As the building stands in the most part of the passage, the commercial use will enhance the movement of people in it.
Many shops project their windows to the passage, something that changes the monotonous straight façade of the ground floor. This projection is also used in some apartments on the floors above. The design principle is that every projection that hangs out of the old structure is metallic with glass in its three facades.