TU/e Campus’s Neuron Building affirms the role of the campus as a place for physical connection in today’s digitally oriented era. MüllerVanTol collaborated with Team V on the interior design, transforming the Eindhoven University of Technology building from a former computer centre into a people-centric space that encourages students to gather and linger. The idea is that if you feel connected to a place, it’s easier to connect with the people around you.
The building has a strong physical presence and is full of contrasts – a robust 1970s concrete base level supports a visually lighter top floor. MüllerVanTol reinforced this contrast in the interior. Custom-made furniture seems to emerge from the architecture of its own accord – and is even constructed from materials more associated with buildings than with furniture, such as concrete fibreboard and CLT, a reference to the newly raised ceiling. These elementary materials contrast with sustainable acoustic felt and recycled woven fabrics, further humanizing the interior.
Neuron is home to around 650 study spots, lecture halls, multifunctional education rooms, a lounge and more. Colour and materiality are used to demarcate three tiers of activity: social spaces, areas for working in small groups and spots for silent study. A palette of four greys and four greens – the former correspond to the original concrete while the latter reference the campus’s natural surroundings – are offset by red, an accent of the existing building.