A World Changing Idea

The Dutch Mountains project has been chosen as finalist for the ‘World Changing Ideas Award’. The prize is awarded by Fast Company, the world’s biggest progressive business media platform, emphasizing innovation and technology, the economy, leadership and design. Through this award the prestigious American magazine honours companies, projects and concepts that offer innovative and creative solutions for global social problems.

The Dutch Mountains is a commercial and residential complex that will enrich the Eindhoven region in 2020. The construction will include a large park, public amenities as well as long and short stay facilities, a conference centre and business premises and will be fitted with all sorts of hi-tech innovations making it a symbol for what is being called the smartest region in the world. These technologies will make the building a highly advanced complex, setting new standards for sustainable development. The building will be maximally self-sufficient, featuring closed cycles for energy, water, waste and materials.

The project is groundbreaking in several ways. Remarkably, the project is being developed by technology companies, service providers and engineering companies, all of which are normally the last companies in line on the development chain. Together they are developing an ‘ecosystem’ of services, technologies and installations which are centred on the user. The system allows individual users to experience the most pleasant, comfortable and healthy stay possible in the building: each user can influence their own – personalized – environment.

The building will be entirely designed and built around this user-centred system. The building’s flexibility is unique. Spaces that are used as hotel rooms one day can be used as conference or business spaces the next. Robots will move walls around and the aim is that some spaces will even only be equipped with virtual ‘walls’ which can be installed any time at any location.

Furthermore, The Dutch Mountains distinguishes itself by offering a total service system. Light, heat, food, furniture, installations and even facades and ground are delivered as services in the project. This enables both software and hardware to be replaced when it becomes necessary. For example: the outer walls generate energy. If a smarter facade becomes available in the future that produces more energy than the current one, it has to be replaceable. This requires a completely new model of exploitation and organization. The development of that model, called ‘building as a service’, is an integral part of the project.

The Dutch Mountains is an initiative of BLOC, Studio Marco Vermeulen and Urban XChange. Partners in development are AAFM/Asito, Dell Technologies, Beveco and Spie. Arup, Stichting SlimBouwen, Eindhoven Technical University and Twice Eindhoven are the knowledge partners on this project. The project is supported by Veldhoven municipality, the municipality in which the development of The Dutch Mountains is envisaged.

Read more information about The Dutch Mountains and read more about the winners of the 2017 World Changing Ideas Award.