Circular Cube, Tilburg University Lecture Hall

Author : McKinley Vognsen | Published On : 24 Oct 2025

I had already chosen this challenge thoughtfully and consciously, but continuing education along with work is quite tiring. When my professional swimming career is added to this, it becomes a very tight schedule, but this intensity is good for me. Even though it is difficult, working and producing is one of the most important needs for a person, in my opinion. Both are 4-year programmes, in ‘concurrency’ (32 hours/week in practice + 16 hours/week at the design school).
The library is one of 15 branches across six municipalities owned by the same public provider, Midden-Brabant Library. LocHal, the largest, has now become an exemplar for others, its ‘stair landscape’ and ‘stage’ concepts now being incorporated elsewhere. This approach, derived from the  Midden-Brabant Library’s concept of de Kennismakerij (literally, ‘the knowledge factory’), was born out of a desire for libraries to be less about their books and more about exchange of knowledge.
The villa is part of the campus of the Faculty of Arts, which combines next to the school of architecture also academies of dance, rock, music, theatre and visual arts. Over 1500 students follow studies in the School of Art, which is housed in a newly completed building by Dutch architect Jo Coenen. In addition to being circular, the Marga Klompé Building is also climate-adaptive and nature-inclusive.

For this room, we designed curtains of coloured thin ropes which can be pushed aside to create two walls for presentations, allowing multiple groups to use the space at the same time. For example, we incorporated old rail tracks into the floor, which are used to move three large wheeled tables made out of train undercarriages. The tables can hold people’s weight and, when put together, can form a stage in front of a ‘stair landscape’ for performances and lectures. They can also be pushed outside into a small courtyard where they can become a podium for outdoor activities. Another addition is a set of six ceiling-height, mechanised textile screens, which allow staff to section off parts of the large space to create ‘rooms’ for private events and performances.
This summer marks five years since the opening of KAAN Architecten Paris office, a notable milestone in the firm’s expanding international presence. The Paris branch was founded to deepen connections with French institutions, clients and partners while upholding the multidisciplinary design philosophy of the Rotterdam headquarters. Mecanoo designed a series of themed rooms, known as the ‘labs’, for specialised work, research, learning and collaboration.
He is a member of the board of directors of the Bayside District, a volunteer organization overseeing the Third Street Promenade. The preservation of this characteristic has been our starting point for the redevelopment. We have managed to keep the characteristic void by placing the new program of small residential units entirely in the two side aisles. The empty nave in turn serves as an extension of the house, offering room for work or relaxation.

This form of co-living increases living comfort and social cohesion within the building. In collaboration with KAAN Architecten and VORM, the consortium that obtained the contract also includes Pieters Bouwtechniek, J. Van Toorenburg BV, Bosch Slabbers, Buro Bouwfysica, OPPS, ABT, A.de Jong Installatietechniek, Steegman Electrotechniek, De Groot & Visser BV, Oranjedak, GWS dé schoonmaker and Caspar de Haan Groep. The LocHal is open from 8am until 10pm, seven days a week, pretty much every day of the year, and it is free.
The roof is more than 9 metres above ground level, and also floats a little bit above the adjacent buildings. On Peter Vreedeplein, the roof becomes a large canopy with a more closed appearance of aluminium sheeting and a number of small roof lights. A number of large-scale projects are taking place in Tilburg to make the city centre more attractive.One of these changes is a new connection between Heuvelstraat and Pieter Vreedeplein. Octatube was closely involved in the design and realisation of the spectacular new wavy roof.