Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
In the heart of Eindhoven, nestled among existing buildings and bustling commercial areas, Nieuw Bergen is taking shape. The plan combines high density with a striking abundance of light and space. According to development manager Mark Janssens of SDK Vastgoed, the strength of the project lies in staying true to the original concept: “We’ve brought to life the design that won us the bid back then.”
Nieuw Bergen emerged from a tender issued by the municipality of Eindhoven in 2016. After Phase 1 of this tender, in which seventeen developers submitted designs, three parties remained in the running. SDK Vastgoed emerged as the winner, in part due to the way the team engaged the neighborhood from the very beginning.
“Community participation was a key part of the tender,” says Janssens. “The municipality placed a high priority on this, and the community also played an advisory role in the evaluation. We invested a lot of time in community participation, and that was appreciated.” In addition, the overall concept was the deciding factor. MVRDV’s design aligns with Eindhoven’s profile as a city of technology, design, and knowledge. “It’s a unique mix of buildings to behold, especially with those sloping roofs. But the plan also incorporates many technical innovations.”
SDK Vastgoed is a subsidiary of the VolkerWessels construction group and focuses on large-scale area developments in the southern Netherlands. Janssens: “Since projects like these take a long time to complete, effective collaboration is essential. We always build our work on our relationships with municipalities and other stakeholders. We do this openly and transparently: we don’t shy away from difficult issues and ensure that everything is open to discussion. This way, we all stay focused on the same goal. We work together as partners throughout both the development and construction phases.”
For Nieuw Bergen, this involved, among other things, drafting a new zoning plan in consultation with the municipality, navigating the various procedures, and overseeing the project through the construction phase. Construction began in 2023, in collaboration with our sister company Stam + De Koning. After approximately 10 years, the project is now nearly complete.
Janssens was involved as a development manager throughout those 10 years. He reflects: “The location in the heart of the city presented significant challenges. There was barely any space for a construction site, and the project is located right next to a school, a fire station, a cemetery, various residential blocks, and major thoroughfares. Safety was always the top priority, but that made it logistically and technically complex.” The design itself also placed high demands on the construction process. Both the transformation of the existing buildings—where history and modern living come together—and the sloped facades and roofs of the new construction placed high demands on aspects such as waterproofing and building physics. “It was a complex project on all fronts, from engineering to execution.”
What makes this project special for SDK Vastgoed is that the original design remained intact. “That’s what I’m most proud of. We didn’t make any concessions from the tender design. You don’t see that very often in projects like this.”
After nearly 10 years of work, Nieuw Bergen is now nearing completion. It’s a completely new neighborhood in the city, where nearly 237 households have found their new homes. For Janssens, this is the moment when all their efforts come together. “You work on it for so long that it almost becomes routine. But when you see the finished result, you realize it really is a special project.”
