The project is the result of an agreement made in 2020 between CBRE Global Investors, the municipality of Eindhoven, the province of North Brabant, the Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, and VNO-NCW to develop a sustainable solution for the outdated Heuvel shopping centre and the Muziekgebouw, a music venue located in the existing shopping centre.

In MVRDV's vision, the Heuvel will be transformed into an urban quarter where shopping, culture, and recreation take place in the same location. The existing buildings will be expanded and broken open so that they better connect with the surrounding public spaces and cultural buildings of Eindhoven’s inner city. The covered passages of the shopping centre are replaced with open streets, making the quarter an active part of the life of the city, while the roofs are accessible and green, creating a park that adds to the area’s attractiveness.

“Culture makes a city attractive, and a city as fast-growing as Eindhoven deserves a central music venue that is more visible”, says MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas. “Our vision is an open and accessible shopping, residential, and cultural quarter. We achieve this by radically opening up the existing buildings, transforming the complex into seven new city blocks, and expanding upwards from the roofs. Our goal is to make the complex attractive again for all the people of Eindhoven who want to shop and go out, while at the same time ensuring interaction with the inner city. In our vision, the area will have a totally different allure.”