Over the past century, the ENCI site in Maastricht evolved into a significant industrial location in the region. The ENCI company played a crucial role in post-war reconstruction by supplying national cement production. In 2020, the company closed its doors, leaving behind an impressive crater in the landscape in the form of an old marl quarry and industrial site. Over the past decade, the quarry has been gradually transformed into a high-biodiverse nature and recreation area. Our firm worked in collaboration with all stakeholders and experts on an integrated transformation process and plan where industry gradually gave way to nature.
An important area is the former industrial site where installations, machinery, and factory buildings stand as lively evidence of the industrial past. In the coming years, this area will develop into an accessible and open work zone that accommodates innovative business activities, recreation, events, culture, and housing. In collaboration with the National Cultural Heritage Agency and local governments, we assessed the value of the industrial heritage. The specific architectural and urban qualities of the ENCI area, both tangible and intangible, have been carefully identified and recorded in transformation guidelines.
To guide the new construction and transformation smoothly, an organic master plan has been developed. This plan includes careful zoning of sub-areas to provide a solid foundation for programmatic and architectural concepts. One of the main goals of the plan is to connect the Maas River with the nature landscape of the quarry through a publicly accessible industrial site. Spectacular routes, such as along a steep limestone wall, will lead visitors past old production halls where new innovative activities take place. The ENCI heart zone will become the public and central part of the area, where the large-scale interiors of public buildings blend with the old raw material depots, squares, and streets of the outdoor space.
A key spatial element in the gradual development of the site is the old conveyor belts. This infrastructure illustrates the production route from marl to cement and will be made publicly accessible. The route leads visitors past old mills and crushers, offering a multitude of spectacular views over the site and buildings, connecting old and new in a vibrant public space.
Client:Limburg Real Estate
Year: 2023-present
Status:Masterplan
In collaboration with:Warchest development, Municipality of Maastricht