Philips' industrial landscape in Eindhoven. Heritage and reuse of Strijp S terrain

In The Netherlands, the innovative projects of regeneration undertaken by the city of Eindhoven in the last decades are of great significance, as they have dealt with large former industrial areas of extraordinary heritage value.This paper discusses the relationship between the existing industrial landscape of Eindhoven and the related creative design of reuse, and it highlights the potential of vast architectural buildings and terrains that characterise the city, motherland of Philips’ electronic industry, which was based in Eindhoven since 1920. It illustrates the important role played by the industrial history of Eindhoven on the preservation and regeneration of a number of industrial sites and notable buildings, located in the inner and outer city. The project of transformation, which is among the biggest in Europe, is funded on sustainable redevelopment, preservation and reuse of industrial heritage. Moreover, the paper examines the importance of the master-planning processes and the gradually changing perceptions of Stijp S through creative reuse of old buildings and the development of new ones. Finally, it underlines those feature that show how industrial heritage can contribute to create dynamic places to attract local people and visitors, while creative industries can lead to the growth of local economy.