Strijp S - Matchbox
Matchbox is a compact, mixed-use timber building located at the entrance to Strijp S in Eindhoven, one of the Netherlands’ most significant urban transformation areas. Occupying a triangular site within the former Philips industrial district, the project completes a key corner of the master plan and strengthens the connection between the industrial zone to the south and the new residential developments to the north.
The name Matchbox refers to the rhythm of the façade grid, articulated through a consistent 22 cm timber module reminiscent of matches. The façade combines load-bearing Azobé timber elements and galleries with bamboo infill panels, both of which will naturally weather to a silvery grey tone. Continuous balconies and full-height opening doors enhance openness and support everyday use.
With a total floor area of approximately 5,000 m², the building accommodates 36 social rental dwellings arranged around a communal courtyard garden. The ground floor hosts workspaces, retail and hospitality functions, including Bakkie 040, a socially engaged coffee bar that animates the street level. Trudo’s headquarters occupy the first and second floors, providing healthy work environments organized around open staircases and interconnected spaces.
Matchbox is conceived as a CO₂-neutral building. Apart from glazing and a prefabricated concrete stability core, the structure is almost entirely bio-based, comprising timber beams and columns with CLT floor slabs. As a contemporary addition to Strijp S, the project demonstrates how timber construction can contribute to a more sustainable and liveable urban environment.
Info
- Location
- Eindhoven, NL
- Date
- 2021–2026
- Size
- 4,700 sqm
- Client
- Trudo, Eindhoven
- Team
- Cristina Gonzalo Cuairan, Dikkie Scipio, Eli Dorsman, Hannes Ochmann, Jan Teunis ten Kate, Javier Cuartero, Kees Kaan, Michael Geensen, Michalina Wawro, Moritz Kuehl, Narine Gyulkhasyan, Raluca Firicel, Samara Zukoski, Timo Cardol, Vincent Panhuysen
- Building physics supervisor
- ABT B.V., Delft
- Main contractor
- Stam + De Koning Bouw, Eindhoven
- Contractor timber structure
- Derix, Lierderholthuis + Constructie Adviesbureau Geuijen, Dinxperlo
- Construction advisor
- Adviesbureau Lüning B.V., Velp + ABT B.V., Delft
- Technical installations advisor
- Visietech B.V., Nieuwendijk
- Fire safety engineer
- ABT B.V., Delft
- Building acoustics advisor
- ABT B.V., Delft
- Trudo office acoustics advisor
- Level Acoustics & Vibration, Eindhoven
- Trudo office management
- Maakt Projecten, Eindhoven
- Constructor W(erktuigbouw)
- Van Hout adviseurs en installateurs B.V., Veldhoven
- Constructor E(lectrical)
- Verheggen Elektrotechniek B.V., Wintelre
- Matchbox patio
- Beining Adviseur Groenprojecten, Vlijmen
- Landscape
- West 8 urban design & landscape architecture b.v., Rotterdam
