WoenSoul: re-introducing the ambitious social and cultural intensions of Bakema for the soul of Woensel

Woensel is already waiting more than 50 years for the promised cultural and social center and needs a strong center in its Soul, right in the middle of the area. We first made a silence space in the existing HEMA to get a grip  on the context and then students proposed a contextual urban plan in the plan of West 8 including the HEMA. Strong proposals were made, from multi level spatial organization, reinterpretation of Bakema’s canopy, designing one strong entity, proposing a open public inside/outside groundfloor with all functions above it, a slowing down public space, etc. Why can Woensel with more than 100.000 inhabitants not have any cultural and social center while Helmond with less inhabitants has a beautiful Cacao factory a theater in the existing church. The project was presented in a interesting mini symposium to stake holders (west 8, cultural department municipal, commisision omgevingskwaliteit, architectuur café Eindhoven, project leader stad-hart woensel).