massimiliano fuksas: de blob at september 18 square

'entrance building admirant' by massimiliano fuksas at the september 18 square in eindhoven, the netherlands
image courtesy massimiliano fuksas


italian practice massimiliano fuksas architecture has completed 'de blob', the entrance building to
the admirant in eindhoven, the netherlands. located on the september 18 square--also designed by
fuksas--the building is a part of a larger urban revitalization project set in the historic centre of the city.
the 3000 m2 mixed-use building serves as the focal structure of the masterplan.

the position of the project's site made the structure take on the role as a natural meeting space for the public.
in addition to being an iconic building, it aims to redefine in one form the city centre while connecting
the bijenkorf, a chain of upscale department stores, with the old shopping district. the multidirectional
intersection it sat next to gave a non-directional shape, resulting in a blobular form.



image courtesy massimiliano fuksas


the 5-storey concrete structure is wrapped in a transparent skin constructed out of glass and steel.
featuring faceted, triangular details, the otherwise smooth and curvy envelope dips in slightly to
form light-reflecting dimples which also alter and play with the spatial configuration of the interior.
elliptical cut outs on the floor slabs allow for natural light to reach the level of the square.



facade detail
image courtesy paul prudence


interior view
image courtesy massimiliano fuksas



interior during construction
image courtesy massimiliano fuksas



images courtesy massimiliano fuksas



(clockwise from top left) facade detail, concaved roof detail, mezzanine slab, interior during construction



(left) street view
(right) looking down into the square
images courtesy massimiliano fuksas


to cater to the bike-friendly city of eindhoven, yet still avoid having the public square cluttered
with locked up bikes, underground parking is provided for over 1,700 bikes. to access the bicycle park
below, two set of tunnels burrow seamlessly into the square, leading users down a path which is marked
by an arrangement of tiles and transparent glass on the ceiling. at night, these transparent glass inserts
will light up, turning the paving of the square into a luminous carpet at night.



the square at night
image courtesy massimiliano fuksas



conveyor belt leading down bike park below
image via contemporist
photographer: rob't hart



entrance on the square
image via contemporist
photographer: rob't hart



illuminated paving of the square
image via contemporist
photographer: rob't hart



rendering of the september 18 square
image courtesy massimiliano fuksas



image courtesy massimiliano fuksas



image courtesy massimiliano fuksas



image courtesy admirant.nl



site plan
red: entrance building
orange: admirant buildings



second level floor plan





third level floor plan