Opening ‘Green Walk’ TU/e Eindhoven

October 2, 2015

At the start of September, Jan Mengelers chairman of the board of the TU/e, opened the ‘Groene Loper’ or ‘Green Walk’, as part of the TU/e campus. After a short speech at the Metaforum, the connecting green space between the university buildings was taken into use with a drive on segways.
Perhaps the most satisfying on that sunny Wednesday was to see that the concept of the Green Walk, strengthening the image of the University with this green space, meeting space and residence place for students and lecturers just works !!!
The opening of the Green Walk was accompanied by the start of the City Mobility Market). At this market all sorts of innovating ideas and suggestions are launched, in regards to concepts for greener transportation, last-mile solutions for public transport, bike sharing systems, innovative ways of transportation and loads more.

MTD has worked on this special project since 2011. At this time the office was selected in a phased tendering process to design a master plan for the Campus and Green Walk of the TU Eindhoven. The Technical University Eindhoven had the ambition to develop itself into a multifunctional TU/e Science Park and to manifest itself as one of the leading and most innovative universities worldwide. To this respect, the Campus and Green Walk are seen as its calling card and serve to strengthen its image as a sustainable and innovative university.
MTD landscape architects / urban designers aimed within the master plan the green space as an important connective quality for the campus. With the part of the Green Walk western of the main building there is made a distinctive connection with the Dommeldal. The pond, which is reintroduced at the entrance of the main building, marks the start of the orthogonal system of the Campus and the Green Walk. The entrance of the main building, together with the pond, are transformed from a utilitarian passage to an open, inviting and theatrical entrance.
The second important component of the master plan is ‘’the walk’ or ‘the walker’; the student and the user are assigned a central role. Because of this the car and bicycle traffic has been banned from the Green Walk. A new connection line for slow traffic has been introduced; the so called scenic walk. It facilitates the students and other users and offers all sorts of motives for use.
The planning process and the very intensive interactive communication process for the master plan of the Campus and Green Walk, which included the Housing Service, the Faculty of Architecture and other users, have taken place in a very short time span. Because of this, an important part of the Campus and Green Walkr have already been realized and put in to service in the course of 2013 and 2014 and the project has reached her total completion in the course of 2015.