De Toeloop Mixed Use Complex is part of the new Doornakkers urban centre plan with assisted and seniors’ residences and a health centre. The plan forms the new heart of the Doornakkers neighbourhood in Eindhoven and connects residences and social services.
The complex (known as a SPIL centre for Playing, Integration and Living) combines various functions including an education centre, play group, day-care centre, primary school, clinic, sports halls, after school-care centre, youth centre, community shop, community centre, retail centre, and different types of dwellings.
The original site was expanded with a plot of green farmland called ’t Veld. To maintain maximum green space on the site, the complex is organised into a compact volume on the edge of the farmland.
The enclosed rooftop outdoor space of the youth centre affords views of the green landscape. Beside this is the sports hall on the second floor. Apartments on the upper two floors are grouped around a covered street with zigzagged walkways that bring daylight to the floor below.
The brown/red masonry apartment facades form a striking contrast with the darker facades that enclose community functions. A transparent plinth engages with the street level. In the interior of the education centre, a conceptual connecting element literally and figuratively ties the different functions together.
This playful furniture object winds through the complex, incorporating shared functions such as toilets, storage and work spaces. Integrated seats are made of wood. The coatracks read as floating wooden boxes.