TU/e Student Sports Centre nominated for Dirk Roosenburg Prize 2025

The Student Sports Centre at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has been selected from among 25 Eindhoven-based projects as one of seven nominees for the Dirk Roosenburg Prize 2025.

The jury writes: “The Student Sports Centre is an architectural icon. It was designed between 1960 and 1963 by Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964), but was only completed in 1967, after his death. Rietveld envisioned the building as a standalone pavilion, carefully integrated into the greenery along the Dommel River. The complex was recently due for its fifth expansion and renovation, this time designed by DP6. This particular renovation piqued the jury’s interest, as the Delft-based firm found inspiration in the Rietveld-designed pavilion at the Kröller-Müller Museum. There, a continuous white canopy at a height of three meters creates spatial layering and a connection to the human scale. This same approach has been applied to the Student Sports Centre. The newly added canopy introduces cohesion and openness to the complex, linking it to the surrounding landscape. The expansion also creates a patio next to the main entrance, highlighting Rietveld’s original facades. Natural light now reaches deep into the heart of the complex. The new sports café, with its spacious terrace, offers views over the Dommel.”

The Dirk Roosenburg Prize is an award for ‘spatial quality’, presented since 1989 by the Municipal Executive of Eindhoven. The aim of the prize is to promote the quality of the built environment within the municipality through public discussion. The design’s quality is important, but so is the project’s contribution to the experience, usability, and identity of the city. The prize is awarded to a completed project within the city’s limits. This year’s jury consists of Robert Winkel, Bart Reuser, Nikol Dietz, Merel Pit, Fieke van den Breuken, and Ronald Rijnen.

The award ceremony will take place on October 16, 2025, during a festive gathering in Eindhoven.