Monocle (October 2018) by Eindhoven Press

WELCOME See the Netherlands in all its glory, from city to city

∆ Easy to get around with diverse offerings found in every city ∆ Strong design heritage that is revered around the world ∆ Tolerant society that respects the rights and freedoms of individuals

∆ Home to many of Europe’s most highly rated universities ∆ Prosperous economy that is only set to improve ∆ Residents here enjoy a high quality of life – and visitors get a taste too

Discover the benefits of Dutch courage The Netherlands is one of the most desirable and liveable countries in the world: it’s business savvy, progressive, tolerant and creative, to name but a few traits. From design to urbanism, the country teems with promise and offers every visitor something that’s bound to surprise and intrigue. Let’s start exploring. Netherlands in numbers ∆

Fifth most prosperous country in the world, according to UNDP ∆

11.9 per cent of Dutch working professionals are self-employed

It’s normally considered a faux pas to refer to Europe as a geographical diminutive, a region of the world to be traversed as one might from town to neighbouring town. But in the Netherlands that really is the case. You could be gawping at architect Rem Koolhaas’ Kunsthal Rotterdam in the morning and admiring artist Piet Mondrian’s masterly artwork in The Hague come lunchtime. The country’s 7,000km of train tracks connect cities major and minor in no time. The Netherlands is a compact nation but it brims with ideas, whether in the fields of product design, robotic engineering or sustainable NBTC 3 MONOCLE

agriculture. This natural curiosity, openmindedness and flare for entrepreneurship is inherent to the Dutch – really, it’s the helix of the country’s cultural DNA. The goal here is to encourage interesting conversation and to inspire news ideas: a thrilling atmosphere that’s palpable across the Netherlands. Rotterdam is a bustling world of cutting-edge business, experimental architecture and top retail; it has an entrepreneurial attitude that stems from the city’s manufacturing know-how and prosperous port (nicknamed “the gateway to Europe”). Eindhoven has transformed itself from

Getting around Groningen

a former industrial hub to a technological mecca that’s been labelled “Europe’s Silicon Valley”. Successful start-ups are cropping up left, right and centre, and the city is further bolstered by the talented graduates coming out of the Eindhoven University of Technology and Design Academy. Meanwhile in Groningen, on the northern coast but never far away, you will find an idyllic picture of European charm; think townhouses along peaceful canals and a verdant coastline to rival any. But it’s also home to a booming start-up scene and two top universities (not bad for a town of 200,000).

Amsterdam Utrecht

The Hague Rotterdam

Eindhoven

A design odyssey

For more information, please visit holland.com/innovation

Design has long been a part of Dutch DNA Among the greatest icons of Dutch design is the Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht. Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld created it in 1924 for socialite Truus Schröder-Schräder, who initially envisioned a house without walls (a big ask). The edifice is considered the paradigm of De Stijl architecture.

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The Hague is home to major works by Piet Mondrian.

Otterlo’s collection of Bart van der Leck’s paintings is unrivalled.

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Learn about Theo van Doesburg, a founder of the De Stijl art movement, in Leiden

Vist the Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht.

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The Plogfabriek, Rietveld’s iconic textile factory, is in Bergeijk.

Piet Mondrian’s house in Amersfoort is a must.

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GRONINGEN Creating a future that is equal parts green and digital

∆ A historic city with character and charm in abundance ∆ Heart of the Netherlands’ green revolution ∆ One of the happiest places in Europe

Green machine Groningen is a historic, vibrant university town that has positioned itself as one of the Netherlands’ most technology-forward cities. It is also leading the country’s green revolution, with grassroots initiatives growing from the ground up and pushing the nation in a more sustainable direction. NBTC 3 MONOCLE

To further improve access by rail, and ameliorate the ease of getting around town, the city launched the Groningen Spoorzone project in 2016. It is part of a €160m northern infrastructure project that, by 2023, will create more train tracks and cycle lanes, and expand the Groningen Europapark station.

Groningen

∆ Centuries-old hub for hardworking and ambitious students ∆ On the record as being committed to renewable energy ∆ The Netherlands’ cycling capital, where two wheels are ubiquitous

Groningen is both the name of the city and the region. Its entrepreneurial spirit is felt across the entire province, and with an employment rate rising 100 per cent faster than the national average, it’s easy to see why some affably call it “Growningen”. The fount of this drive for innovation is the region’s emphasis on education. The University of Groningen and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences have more than 60,000 students between them; the former was established in 1614 and is consistently at the top of national rankings. The campus is the fastest-growing in the Netherlands and makes Groningen fertile ground for talented young entrepreneurs. As of 2017 there were 453 companies founded in the city across industries such as car manufacturing and video-gaming, according to start-up database Founded in Groningen. This creative energy has also been channelled into Groningen’s pursuit of eco-sustainability. The city has promised to make itself energy neutral by 2035. The Netherlands’ largest solar-panel farm is in Delfzijl, which powers the Google Data Centre in Eemshaven; nearby is the Chemport Industry Campus, which has a goal to produce sustainable energy sources

Groningen in numbers ∆

60 per cent of journeys are made by bike ∆

13 per cent of the student body is international ∆

More than 10,000 are employed in Groningen’s ICT sector

(with emphasis on nurturing young talent by collaborating with academic institutions); and the two universities have launched Energy Academy Europe, which turns research into energy innovation. Groningen helps push the image of the Netherlands as future-oriented. It draws people from across the world, and major companies such as IBM have come to set up shop. And it’s all paying off: in 2016, Groningen had the largest number of successful start-ups in the Netherlands.

Pushing for a sustainable future In 2018 Groningen, together with Rotterdam, became home to the Global Centre of Excellence on Climate Adaptation. The initiative – founded by the Dutch government and the United Nations Environment Programme – is part of the Energy Academy Europe and looks at how to best adapt human lives (from what we eat to how we travel) to answer the problems posed by climate change.

03 A magnetic city for international students and start-ups

∆ Diverse society that forms a bubbling cultural melting pot ∆ Home of Dutch Design Week, one of Europe’s largest design events ∆ Top university and academy for studying technology and design

Eindhoven in numbers ∆

International vibe with 170 nationalities

Where technology meets design

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©Philips City Farm Research Center

€18.6bn in industry exports from Brainport Eindhoven ∆

22.6 patents per 10,000 residents

Eindhoven is fertile ground for more than just business, design and technology: it’s also home to some of Europe’s most avant garde architecture, such as The Blob (pictured, above). The resplendent glass-and-steel structure is 24 metres tall and was designed by Italy’s Massimiliano Fuksas; it acts as the gateway into retail area Emma District.

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©Ossip van Duivenbode

Mapping the future with design In 1998, Eindhoven started what has now become Dutch Design Week, the largest design event in northern Europe, which attracts some 2,600 designers and 335,000 visitors. The October gathering focuses on design of the future, showcasing ideas by young talents as well as renowned creatives from home and abroad. In 2017, MVRDV Architects built a prototype, Lego-style house on Market Square to address the idea of future housing. To find out what’s on the agenda, visit ddw.nl.

©Houben and Van Mierlo architecten

Make way for The Blob

Like Detroit in the US, Eindhoven was once a city overly reliant on a handful of companies, among them Philips and truck-builder DAF; in the 1990s, the former moved its enterprise and the latter went bust. But unlike Detroit, which still hasn’t recovered from the crash of its primary industry, Eindhoven used this low point to trampoline itself up to a high point, all in the space of just two decades. One of the key elements of this transformation was the creation of Brainport Eindhoven, a regional collaboration of business and industry, knowledge and educational institutions, local authorities, investors, designers and citizens. This region is dedicated to fostering startups, housing top companies and conducting research into everything from smart mobility and future living to photonics. Companies include ASML (the world’s largest chip-machine manufacturer) and hundreds of start-ups spread over innovative,

©Max Kneefel

©Bobby Born

Eindhoven is a story of zeal and forward-thinking. The Dutch city has turned its fortunes around from being down on its luck to becoming an enviable design and technology hub. Today it’s home to some of the most cuttingedge companies in the world and a breeding ground for new ideas.

creative districts such as the High Tech Campus and former Philips complex Strijp-S. The effort has paid off. Today, the region accounts for 40 per cent of Dutch spending on research and development, and this year Savills ranked Eindhoven the third most innovative city in Europe, ahead of Berlin and Stockholm. Eindhoven also produces the most patents in Europe, which shows how many new ideas are born in this small city. Part and parcel of Eindhoven’s continuing success is the symbiosis of design and technology. While many cities are productive in either one or the other, Eindhoven operates on the interface between the two elements so as to begin to answer seminal questions about how we live, how to improve healthcare and so forth. Among the laudable examples is the city’s pioneering work in housing: starting in 2019, Eindhoven will deliver five 3D-printed, habitable concrete houses – the world’s first. Led by Eindhoven University of Technology, supported by the municipal government and with design by local architecture practice Houben & Van Mierlo Architecten, these dwellings have already attracted families drawn as much by tasteful aesthetics as costefficiency and practicality.

EINDHOVEN

∆ Exciting alternative for urban explorers and bright minds ∆ Multi-industry stronghold that shows no signs of slowing ∆ Rich and fertile ground for new and innovative ideas

thisiseindhoven.com

ROTTERDAM A shipping city that’s equal parts artistic and entrepreneurial

∆ Busy shipping port known as the ‘Gateway to Europe’ ∆ Forward-thinking city where exciting ideas are in good supply ∆ Architecture is one of its strong suits, as is design

∆ Encourages entrepreneurship and nurtures a healthy economy ∆ Bolstered by foreign investment that sees business booming ∆ Supports start-ups with big ideas for changing the world

Among Rotterdam’s most prized assets is its port, the largest in Europe: thousands of containers – and ideas – are shipped in and out of the city every day. But it’s not just the magnitude of the operation that gives it renown – the port of Rotterdam is also one the world’s most technologically advanced. In 2015 it was the first to introduce automated container terminals. Meanwhile last year the Rotterdam Additive Manufacturing Lab (an entity dedicated to creating cutting-

edge components and parts for the port) 3D-printed the first metal ship propeller. Innovation requires foresight, of course, and by 2050 the port aims to be totally emission-free. But it’s planning to achieve a lot before then. Much of the groundbreaking thinking in the city stems from the Rotterdam Makers District: two entrepreneurship areas on either side of the Nieuwe Maas River. One part, RDM Rotterdam, is located in a former shipyard and is home to some of the top companies in Europe, such as Studio RAP: the architecture firm creates geometrically complex structures with the help of robotic arms in the construction process, which allows for faster and more precise fabrication. Across the water is M4H, an innovation district that caters to more nascent companies; the ideas flowing from here promise to reshape the world.

With 80 per cent of its land below sea level, the city has had to fight to stay above water, both literally and metaphorically. It may well be this environmental challenge that has bred a spirit of problem-solving and innovation here.

Port of call for fresh ideas

Rotterdam in numbers ∆

Port: throughput of 467+ million tonnes

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Home to 1,300+ international companies

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€540m FDI in 2017

rotterdampartners.nl