1/1 NRE residents feel very involved in their environment and with each other
It’s easy to make the comparison with the village, says Jack Dugoff of the NRE website in Eindhoven where he recently moved. The similarity lies in the fact that residents know each other and feel involved with each other and their environment. This is also because they fixed the site of this former gas plant together. Thanks to their initiative, a city district was created here with a lot of interest in culture and creativity. NRE is one of the finalists for the Brabant Style Award.
Jack was one of the initiators who, nearly ten years ago, set their sights on the empty old factory buildings in Nutsbedrijven Regio Eindhoven on the eastern edge of the city centre. They saw a lot of opportunity for a housing group for people over 55 years old. I have come. One of the buildings has been divided into separate life-resistant apartments. “We can grow old here together.” At the same time, space on the ground floor was left for a showroom where communal meals could also be served.
Jack is quick to say that the site is much more than just a residential community. Other former factory buildings – 11 in all – also housed younger residents. “Age is very mixed here.”
“There are many places here where we can meet.”
Jack is often surprised by all the creativity around him. Designers and craftsmen who not only live there, but also have their own workspace. Cooking studio under construction, ceramic shop, bicycle repair shop. Then there are the cultural options, including the bike café and restaurant with live music. “There are many places here where we can meet.”
He knows how many old buildings were originally used. They all remained erect. “This is where the old distribution station is,” he says, pointing from the rooftop terrace. “And this open space that you see was used to store cable reels or light poles.”
With the help of the municipality, the initiative group was able to develop the plans themselves, without the involvement of the project developer. As a result, Jack believes that this has become their private home. “You live in an area that you are a part of and feels like ours, us.”
NRE is a finalist for the 2021 Brabant Style Prize. You can vote until Friday, December 3rd. The winner will be announced on December 8th.
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