Former Philips headquarters to be turned into 456 temporary student homes

The former Philips head office on Boschdijk in Eindhoven will be turned into temporary student housing until the final renovation of the building starts in 3 to 5 years, the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) announced. The plan is to create 456 student homes, with students moving in at the start of the 2023/24 academic year.

The office floors will be converted into student rooms in the format of a student house where eight to ten students live in groups, sharing bathrooms and the kitchen. The lower levels will likely house general facilities, and the basement will have bicycle storage and waste collection facilities.

“As a university, we are not allowed to invest in student housing ourselves, but through the student housing covenant, we do work closely with the municipality, housing corporations, and other organizations to enable developments,” said Nicone Ummelen, vice president of the TU/e executive board.

TU/e helped with the design and organization of the building, including getting advice from students on what does and does not work for them in terms of housing. The university will also refer house-seeking students to vacant rooms to help as many students as possible find a room. “After all, good and affordable housing is incredibly important to be able to study pleasantly and successfully,” Ummelen said.

Alderman Mieke Verhees is pleased with the temporary expansion of student housing. “We are facing a huge housing shortage, also for students, while this group is so important for economic growth in the region. As a municipality, we are doing everything we can to utilize the available space, temporary or otherwise. As the redevelopment of the former Philips headquarters will take several years, I took the initiative to enter into talks with the owners and TU/e to explore the possibilities."