Woonbedrijf (Eindhoven)

Housing association Woonbedrijf manages a little over 33.000 houses. It was created in 2005 from a merger of Woonstichting Hertog Hendrik van Lotharingen (Hhvl) and Woningstichting SWS. Both have a rich history in Eindhoven and the surrounding area 

The origin of Hhvl - Philips
Hhvl stems from the construction company that Philips and a number of other progressive Eindhoven manufacturers founded at the beginning of the 20th century. Philips grew explosively and there was an enormous need for housing for the workers who worked there. There was hardly any room for housing in Eindhoven itself. The workers' houses that were there were in very bad condition. In 1909 Philips bought a large leasehold farm with land in Strijp and the construction of the houses started a year later. Philipsdorp was finished in 1923 and there were 771 homes. We still rent out these houses.

Renovation Philipsdorp
Woonbedrijf renovated all 771 rental homes from the 1920s from 2011 untill 2018. Due to the extensive work, all residents had to temporarily leave their homes for about 3 months. The exterior of the houses has been renovated to preserve the characteristics of Philipsdorp. Also the interior is fully modernized. The homes have gone from energy label D, E and F (energy inefficient) to label A or B (very efficient). 

Woonbedrijf has also tackled the old shop premises. Facilities like 'the Koffiehuisje' are added and soon 'Eten Zonder Streken', a shop with regional products from Brabant, will open its doors in the former stamp shop. The renovation of Philips was nominated for the municipal architecture prize (Dirk Roosenburgprijs) in 2017 and won the public award in October 2017. This is of course also due to the pride that residents have for their neighbourhood!

A number of residents have made a digital walking guide with stories and photos about the history of Philipsdorp. The walk can be downloaded via the Hidden Tracks – Eindhoven City app.

Sustainable
As the largest housing association in the region, we like to lead by example. We take our responsibility to build a sustainable living environment. This starts with ourselves. In our business operations and in the projects we carry out. Choosing the most sustainable solution is very important to us.

We have 4 themes in our way of working sustainably:

• Renewable energy
• Closed loops
• Natural city
• Collective consciousness

More information on our ideas for a sustainable envionment on our website.