BARCODE Architects have been commissioned with the design for a new 145.000m2 City Campus in Tilburg in The Netherlands. The project shows a challenging masterplan for a new knowledge and cultural center located on a former railway site in the heart of the Dutch textile city.

Contrary to the typical Dutch anonymous development of railway area’s BARCODE Architects set out an ambition for the redevelopment of the industrial heritage to a lively urban area with a superior quality of life. The green campus model will provide a unique combination of new and adapted spaces for programs such as ‘Fontys’ high school, offices, housing facilities, cultural centres, shops and retail stores. The different program elements are not stand-alone, but there is a maximum mixing of the functions ('synergy') in a publicly accessible and attractive urban setting. Working and learning; education, culture and business all meld into a vibrant new unity, making this location to a vital place during both day and night.

The heart of the Campus is a continuous pedestrian route that links the various services and institutions, while offering the visitor a diverse experience by providing a rich mix of program and spaces. Linked to the route you will find large plazas, green courtyards and small oases where those seeking peace and quiet can take time out. The large industrial heritage halls will be converted into large work landscapes for both students and business people alike. This close and intensive atmosphere within a lively surrounding stimulates and creates opportunities for new economies and development.

BARCODE Architects: The City Campus Tilburg is a unique combination of industrial heritage and modern ambition, a place of social innovation: information and knowledge are shared, new creative ideas emerge and networks are tied.

The City Campus Tilburg will open its doors in 2016.