project description
consultancy facade renovation

project phase
conducted

client
real estate management eindhoven university

project team
prof. dipl.-ing. christian rapp
ir. ruurd roorda
ir. marco notten

The sports hall of the former ‘Technische Hogeschool Eindhoven’ has been designed by Gerrit Rietveld. During the last fifty years this building has become part of a larger ensemble; the current Student Sports Centre (SSC) of Eindhoven University of Technology. The original design was characterized by its clarity in omnidirectional orientation and strong articulation of the entrance. However, in the current situation this quality has faded. Mostly because the original translucent polyester facade elements, at the top of the sports hall, were in a very bad condition. Also, because of this condition water penetrated through these elements and as a consequence this condition created the hazard of a corroding loadbearing construction.

Bauhütte, commissioned by the Real Estate Department of Eindhoven University of Technology, conducted a feasibility study on the replacement of these original facade elements. The original elements, Kalwall panels, costly but still available, have been compared with alternative translucent facade materials. The impact of the Kalwall panels and alternative materials have been weighted on their specific detailing, esthetic quality and costs. The renovation has been carried out using the Kalwall panels combined with an improved detailing of the joints and a reintroduction of the thin parapet, which is highly characteristic of Rietveld’s original design.