Maastricht - Architecture Sphinx Quarter Preview

In the southwest corner of the Sphinx site, at Aan de Brikkebouw 10, stands the Brikkebouw. Dating from 1875, it is now the new home of Maison Blanche Dael, a coffee roastery and tea-packing company. The surrounding buildings were demolished because they did not have listed-monument status.

The building was originally used to produce brikke (bricks) and refractory oven bricks made from chamotte clay for the Sphinx factories. It originally consisted of two storeys with a pitched roof. In 1923, four additional storeys were added in a concrete structure, with the new construction of beams and columns running transversely through the old building. An external staircase was also added at the same time.

Since 2020, the listed Brikkebouw has been home to Maison Blanche Dael. The building also houses a coffee café with terrace, a coffee and tea shop, and a coffee school. The architects are Trans Form Architecten, while the interior was designed by Josef Bischofs.

It is a wonderful place to start this tour while enjoying a good cup of coffee.

Hier is de Engelse versie, waarbij ik de tekst iets natuurlijker heb gemaakt voor een internationale architectuurwandeling en de namen en architectuurtermen intact heb gelaten.

The Student Hotel, located on Sphinxcour, is a hybrid hospitality concept housed in the historic Eiffel Building. It is the first location of The Student Hotel Group to be established in a Dutch national monument. With 378 rooms, it is one of the eye-catchers of the ‘new’ Sphinx Quarter.

The building’s industrial past has been playfully preserved and remains visible throughout the hotel. The interior contains various witty references to the former Sphinx sanitaryware factory, which once dominated this part of Maastricht.

The hotel features a rooftop bar, a restaurant, and apartments in the side wings. Braaksma & Roos Architectenbureau was responsible for the structural restoration of the exterior, while OZ Architecten designed the integration of the hotel into the historic building.

The Eiffel

Located on the Boschstraat, the Eiffel is a huge industrial building originally designed as a Sphinx factory. The 183-metre-long building was constructed in 1929 in three separate phases and acquired the nickname “the Eiffel” because of its steel construction, which reminded people of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

With its industrial brick façade and square steel-framed windows, it has become one of the most iconic buildings in Maastricht.

The interior design was created by The Student Hotel design team in collaboration with The Invisible Party.

Bold Rooftop Bar

On the 8th floor of the striking Eiffel Building, Bold Rooftop Bar offers much more than spectacular views over Maastricht and the surrounding area. You can combine the panorama with a good cup of coffee, a glass of wine or a delicious cocktail.

The menu focuses on ‘social food’: small dishes, tapas and antipasti designed to be shared and to encourage interaction. For owners Pieter and Rob, the sky is not the limit—it is only the beginning. Together, they aim to entice visitors to enjoy, experience and discover the place time and again.

Design: Niels Maier

Entrance: via the lobby of The Student Hotel
Opening hours: Wednesday–Monday, 12:00–00:00
Closed: Tuesday

In the eastern part of the Eiffel Building, at Sphinxcour 8, part of the complex was transformed by Studio Modijefskyinto The Commons, a contemporary restaurant and bar serving, among others, the residents of The Student Hotel.

Spread across three levels, The Commons featured a bold and lively interior that celebrated both the heritage of the site and the industrial production processes that once took place in the factory.

Designed to function both as the hotel’s breakfast area and as an all-day bar and dining space, the light-filled restaurant combined a contemporary atmosphere with an industrial character.

A dark steel beam framed by two symmetrical staircases formed the centrepiece of the design. Both the design and the finishes referred to the building’s original structure. The same combination of steel and concrete was repeated on the lower level to create a more intimate cocktail bar.

The Commons has recently been replaced by a branch of the Dutch restaurant chain Loetje, now operating as Loetje Maastricht.

Muziekgieterij, at Boschstraat 5, is Maastricht’s main centre for pop music. Since 2013, the music venue has been housed in the historic Timmerfabriek (Carpentry Factory).

On 8 March 2013, Muziekgieterij opened its doors in the temporarily converted Timmerfabriek. The Maastricht municipality initially granted the venue permission to remain there for a maximum of three years, after which the music centre was expected to move to a permanent location elsewhere on the Sphinx site. Before the renovation, the Timmerfabriek could accommodate around 650 visitors on a temporary basis. However, the new venue proved so successful that almost immediately after the move, calls were made to keep Muziekgieterij at this location on a more permanent basis, with some modifications.

In 2014, it was decided to expand Muziekgieterij at its existing location. Construction began in 2017, based on a design by Maurer United Architects.

The project created two concert halls. The northern part of the Timmerfabriek contains the entrance, a spacious foyer and a hall for 350 visitors. Behind the restored façade of the former tram depot, a full-scale concert hall with a capacity of 1,100 visitors was built. To the north of this, also in a newly constructed section, is the backstage area.

The southern part of the Timmerfabriek is occupied by Bureau Europa, while the section in between is used for a variety of temporary cultural events.

Filmhuis Lumière

JHK Architecten, in collaboration with Verlaan & Bouwstra Architecten, transformed the former power station and boiler houses of the Sphinx factory at Bassin 88 in Maastricht into Filmhuis Lumière, an independent cinema and cultural venue.

Dating from 1910, the complex forms part of the new cultural cluster known as ‘de Timmerfabriek’ and is located on the historic inner harbour, ‘het Bassin’, along the Boschstraat. The redevelopment of the complex is part of the wider urban development project ‘Belvédère Binnensingel’, in which the cultural cluster serves as a catalyst for the further transformation of this former industrial area north of Maastricht’s city centre.

The complex consists of four buildings: the nationally listed former machine hall on the corner of the Bassin, two boiler houses directly behind it, and a former carpentry workshop that connects the machine hall with the other buildings of the cultural cluster.

Interior design: Dorine de Vos and Rosie Stapel.

Pathé Maastricht

Located in Maastricht’s Sphinx Quarter, Pathé Maastricht at Sphinxcour 1 opened its doors at the end of 2015. Designed by Powerhouse Company, the cinema has 1,000 seats and, in addition to screening films, offers facilities for events such as live streams of concerts and opera performances. The auditoriums can also be used for lectures by the neighbouring United Nations University.

The building’s 130-metre-long façade stretches out like a theatre curtain between the foyer and the street. Its architecture seeks to capture the golden age of cinema in the 1920s and 1930s, expressed through a contemporary interpretation of classical modernism.

The design is a striking symbiosis of industrial architecture and cinematic glamour.

De Sphinxpassage aan de Sphinxcour, een ontwerp van Bart van den Boom, is een 120 meter lange overdekte tegelpassage tussen het Eiffelgebouw en Pathé. Bijna 30.000 tegels brengen het Maastrichtse Sphinxverleden in woord, beeld en objecten

Met een mix van – onder andere – familieportretten, fabrieksgebouwen, serviesdecoraties, oude reclame-uitingen en toiletpotten vertellen tegeltableaus in 26 hoofdstukken de geschiedenis van de Sphinx en de Maastrichtse keramiekindustrie. Elk tableau wordt ondersteund door een achtergrondverhaal (Nederlands- en Engelstalig)

Van de oprichting van de Sphinxfabriek door Petrus Regout tot en met de sluiting van de fabriek in het stadscentrum: via de Sphinxpassage krijgen passanten een uniek inkijkje in de geschiedenis van de Maastrichtse keramiekindustrie.

De Sphinxpassage is dagelijks gratis te bezichtigen. Ingangen via de Penintentenpoort, waar het eerste hoofdstuk van de tegeltableaupassage begint, of via het Sphinxcour, waar hoofdstuk 26 de passage afsluit. Bezoekers zijn dagelijks welkom vanaf 08.00 uur. Tijdens de zomermaanden blijft de passage dagelijks open tot 22.00 uur. Alle overige maanden is de passage geopend tot 20.00 uur.

De Sint-Andrieskapel aan de Andriespoort 11 ook wel de Andrieskapel geheten, is een voormalige kloosterkapel. De gotische kapel uit circa 1435 was onderdeel van het in 1796 opgeheven Sint-Andriesklooster, een klooster voor vrouwelijke religieuzen. Vanaf circa 1950 is de Sint-Andrieskapel niet langer in gebruik als kerk en vervult het gebouw diverse andere (culturele) functies. Sinds 1966 is de kapel een rijksmonument. In 2017 werd de kapel gekocht door René Holten, een Nederlandse industrieel vormgever. De kapel kreeg een nieuwe gemengde bestemming: atelier, galerie en wonen.

Veel van de nieuwe interieurelementen werden door René Holten en Daniëlle Colson ontworpen en uitgevoerd. De historische kapel omsluit als een stolp de nieuwe elementen, die reversibel zijn en zodanig vormgegeven dat ze los zijn gehouden van het bestaande casco ('box in box'), waardoor ze als het ware lijken te zweven in de ruimte. In de noordgevel zijn de 19e-eeuwse raamopeningen voorzien van nieuwe kozijnen, die een abstracte vertaling zijn van de oorspronkelijke kozijnen. De nieuwe entreedeur (axiaal gepositioneerd in de westgevel) werd in eigen beheer vervaardigd en is geïnspireerd op de vormgeving van historische kerkdeuren. De deur heeft een eigentijdse maar monumentale uitstraling door het toepassen van messing, de ritmiek van de bouten en de handgreep met andreaskruismotief.

De restauratie en verbouwing was een samenwerkingsproject van René Holten (ontwerper) en architect Jos Nijssen en werd in 2019 bekroond met de Victor de Stuersprijs, de 2-jaarlijkse architectuurprijs van de Gemeente Maastricht.

CPO stands for Collective Private Commissioning. This means that the future residents themselves took responsibility for the development of the project and worked together with the architect to realise their own, sustainable homes.

Where the Sphinx porcelain factory once stood, west of the Boschstraat in Maastricht, there are now two distinctive residential blocks, designed by different architectural firms. Both were developed through a Collective Private Commissioning (CPO) process.

Les Mouleurs, at Andriespoort 16, takes its name from the mould makers who once worked for Sphinx. The building was designed by Humblé, Willems & Martens Architecten.

The residents of Les Mouleurs were able to influence the amount of space and the layout of their homes, as well as deciding where windows, terraces and balconies should be located. These individual choices helped shape the façade of the building.

Thanks to its glass-rich façade, one of the largest apartments in the block establishes a visual connection on one side with the city’s history, including the Andries Chapel, while on the other side it opens onto the greenery of the inner courtyard garden.

SphinxTuin, on the Maagdendries, is the other CPO project, located in the mint-green building on the opposite corner. It was designed by architect Mathieu Bruls.

The project comprises around 35 apartments, as well as five ground-level homes. A striking feature of the design is the integrated “green element”, created by climbing plants growing along cables attached to the façade.

Lindenkruis (various locations) is a residential development on the former site of Maastricht’s Municipal Utilities. The project forms part of the wider urban development associated with Belvedère, a large-scale transformation of an area of the city that was once dominated by industry, including the Sphinx factories.

Lindenkruis fits seamlessly into Maastricht’s successful tradition of urban renewal: stylish, understated and sustainable, with a strong emphasis on the quality of both architecture and public space. This is reflected in the careful detailing of the homes, courtyards and small squares.

This new, sustainable residential neighbourhood comprises around 170 townhouses, larger terraced houses and apartments, in a mix of owner-occupied and rental properties. Beneath the central Lindenkruishof is a generous underground car park. Courtyards, small squares and abundant greenery complete the neighbourhood.

While the interior of the development includes corner houses, terraced houses and patio homes, the outer edges are defined by more formal townhouses and apartment buildings. The plan connects naturally with Maastricht’s existing boulevards and reflects the city’s rich tradition of urban renewal and transformation.

The 24 townhouses around the central Lindenkruishof were built directly above the project’s underground car park. The 148 parking spaces are equipped with infrastructure that makes it possible to charge electric vehicles.

The development was initiated by RO Group, working with several architectural practices, including MTD and AWG architecten, De Drie Architecten, Henk Verheij, iNeX Architecten and N-architecten.

De Brandweer

This former fire station at Capucijnenstraat 21 has been transformed into an attractive setting for hospitality businesses and entrepreneurs. The fire station was the first in the Netherlands to feature a column-free fire engine hall, which proved ideal for the new exhibition space and hospitality area with terrace.

On the first floor, the existing layout provides well-proportioned spaces for small offices. De Brandweer has become a new focal point for the city and an important catalyst for the wider Belvédère area development.

In total, De Brandweer contains 24 studios. Most of them—18 in total—are located on the first floor, while the basement houses six ateliers.

Tim Prins, the designer of the project, received the Victor de Stuers Prize in 2015 for this transformation.

The work of the Walloon architect Charles Vandenhove, who realised several urban renewal projects in Liège, is particularly well suited to the closely related city of Maastricht. The red brick, rounded roof forms and Vandenhove’s characteristic classicist concrete ornaments create a cohesive whole that blends naturally with the surrounding architecture.

The homes were built on an inner site that has been integrated into the urban fabric through two gateway buildings. Behind the gateway on Capucijnenstraat lies a circular square that forms the entrance to a pedestrian street. Buildings line both sides of this route as it follows the sloping terrain, culminating in a seven-storey tower.

The Capucijnenhof is a former monastery, now converted into an apartment complex, located on the Capucijnengang. The complex consists of a heavily remodelled Neoclassical chapel, surrounded by 19th-century monastery wings. Part of the complex is designated as a municipal monument.

In 1992, the complex was sold to an investment company, which commissioned its conversion. Residential units were created in both the chapel and the former monastery wings. For this successful adaptive-reuse project, architects Wim van den Bergh and Ger Widdershoven received the Victor de Stuers Prize in 1999.

On the eastern side of the courtyard, three connected new-build houses were added, designed by Wim van den Bergh.

The V' House, at Batterijstraat 42, was designed for a couple who collect classic cars and carefully inserted into Maastricht’s medieval urban fabric. Because the building plot is long and narrow, voids were carved out of the maximum permitted volume to allow natural light to penetrate throughout the interior.

A covered section of the outdoor space serves as a garage for the owners’ collection of Aston Martins.

Situated between two historic buildings, the modernity of the house is particularly striking. At 530 m², the house is remarkably spacious and is entered through two large glass sliding doors that dominate the front façade.

These doors form the main entrance to the house. They can slide open to either the left or right for pedestrian access, while both doors can be opened simultaneously to allow the cars to be driven inside.

Vanwege veiligheids- en privacyoverwegingen hebben deze glazen toegangsdeurengeen handgrepen of sleutelgaten en kunnen ze in plaats daarvan op afstand worden geopend vanaf elke iPhone, waar ook ter wereld. Voor meer privacy werd de voorgevel van het huis voorzien van een gradiëntpatroon van stippen, die zich naar boven verspreiden en daar een patroon vormen van gordijnen die in de wind wapperen.

Fotos: @archdaily.com

This office renovation at Kommel 18 involved replacing both the front and rear façades of the Zuiderlicht office building, designed by architect Mathieu Bruls.

The new façades are conceived as glass curtain walls. Viewed from the outside, the building now offers a semi-transparent glimpse of the life within. From the inside, occupants have the feeling of being literally surrounded by the façades and roofs of the neighbouring buildings.

The new structure had to accommodate all dimensional tolerances in the existing building shell while providing adequate acoustic, fire and thermal separation between the individual floors.

The construction process was also designed so that all components could be prefabricated off-site and simply assembled on the construction site, making the renovation both precise and efficient.

Hiertoe is een kozijnsysteem ontwikkeld met een houten binnenkozijn, dat voldoende eenvoudig passend is aan te sluiten op de verlopende ruwbouwconstructies. De buitenzijde van deze houten puien is met onderhoudsvrije aluminium glaslatten en dito zetwerk afgewerkt.

Om de uitvoerbaarheid van het systeem te testen is er een proefdeel van een gevelknoop gebouwd en op alle wezenlijke onderdelen getest. Het project oogt alsof het is uitgevoerd met een industrieel alround bouwsysteem, dat enkel maar besteld hoeft te worden. In feite is niets minder waar. De gevel is helemaal “maatwerk”.

The Maastricht Institute of Arts, at Herdenkingsplein 12, formerly known as the Academy of Fine Arts Maastrichtand the City Academy for Applied Arts, is a cluster of educational institutions specialising in the visual arts. The institute is part of Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and occupies two buildings around Herdenkingsplein and along the Brusselsestraat in the Kommelkwartier district.

Part of the complex is a striking building designed by architect Wiel Arets in 1993.

Arets’ new building consists of two volumes connected by an elevated skybridge. The block next to the main building contains an auditorium, library and canteen, while the southern block, opposite the Kruisheren Church, houses a series of studios.

The minimalist building has a concrete frame clad in glass building blocks, creating a particularly striking translucent effect after dark. The floor of the skybridge is also made of glass blocks.

The design has received several architecture awards.

Kruisherenhotel

The Kruisherenhotel, at Kruisherengang 19, is a five-star hotel in the centre of Maastricht. Part of the Oostwegel Collection (formerly Château Hotels & Restaurants), the hotel occupies a 15th-century former monastery of the Kruisheren, located on the Kommel in the Kommelkwartier district.

The Kruisherenhotel was the fifth building complex acquired by Oostwegel and is the most luxurious of the group’s four—now three—hotels. The former Kruisheren monastery complex served a variety of purposes during the 19th and 20th centuries, including as a military warehouse, a state agricultural research station, and a storage facility for opera sets. In 2000, the City of Maastricht transferred the complex to the hospitality group.

In December 2003, an extensive restoration and redesign of the Gothic buildings began under the direction of Rob Brouwers of SATIJNplus architecten. At the same time, the monastery and church were renovated, while the building at Kruisherengang 23, also a listed national monument, was restored.

On the eastern side of this building, a contemporary Corten steel pavilion was added, designed by the restoration architect. Both buildings, bordering the former monastery garden, accommodate additional hotel rooms and suites.

Particular attention was paid to art and design throughout the hotel. Interior designer Henk Vos collaborated with German artist and designer Ingo Maurer. The previously mentioned entrance and lighting fixtures were designed by Ingo Maurer, while contemporary designers were selected for the furniture.

This Sirius Smart Sound shop at Oude Tweebergenpoort 7-A, designed by Maurice Mentjens, is located in the historic centre of Maastricht, close to the Basilica of Saint Servatius.

The interior is constructed from large blocks, evoking a fortress or cathedral. At the rear, a series of spaces resembles catacombs—but constructed entirely in metal—creating the atmosphere of a true Techno Temple.

The metal blocks that appear to fly around you across the walls and ceiling are also a graphic representation of the rhythm of the bass. The “dancing” yellow blocks of the counter appear to have been shifted by bass vibrations with the intensity of an earthquake. Above them are two aluminium buttresses or trusses containing the lighting, combining coloured fluorescent tubes with conventional light bulbs.

After closing time, the interior can transform like a chameleon, changing colour as the aluminium perfectly reflects and adopts the colour of the light.

Behind the counter, connectors are mounted on the wall to display new releases, including vinyl records and CDs.

The more than 700-year-old Dominican Church, located at Dominicanerkerkstraat 1 in the heart of Maastricht, has been a true book lover’s paradise since 2006. From 1804 onwards, the building was no longer used for religious services. Over the following two centuries, the church served many different purposes, but was used mainly as storage space. The wall paintings, in particular, suffered considerable damage as a result.

The restoration was carried out by Satijnplus architecten. Merkx + Girod designed the interior of the bookstore, creating 1,200 m² of retail space within a building offering only 850 m² of floor area. The architects deliberately emphasised the impressive height and spaciousness characteristic of Gothic architecture. The restoration of the church was completed in 2006.

After the bookstore opened, the church’s paintings were also restored, including a 1337 wall painting featuring the oldest known depiction of Thomas Aquinas. This meant that book lovers could actually watch the restoration work taking place while browsing the shelves.

The former choir of the church now houses a coffee café, providing hungry and thirsty visitors with a place to enjoy refreshments amid the historic surroundings.

Entre-Deux, located on Dominicanerplein, is a redevelopment project in the historic centre of Maastricht. It lies between Markt and Vrijthof, which inspired its name. The complex connects Spilstraat and Helmstraat via a covered pedestrian street.

On the northern side, the complex adjoins Maastricht’s oldest city wall. A broad staircase leads from here to a residential courtyard on the second floor. On the southern side, the complex connects to the monumental Dominican Church and the remains of the former Dominican Monastery. Together, these buildings define a new public square. The buildings along the western side create a new street façade on the Helmstraat.

The architecture of the complex takes on several distinct forms. The architecture of the shopping street is classical, with references to Maastricht’s Roman history. The architecture along the Helmstraat draws on Maastricht’s Meuse Renaissance style, characterised by horizontal and vertical bands and surrounds in natural stone.

The residential square on the second floor has been designed as an intimate urban courtyard, inspired by the traditional Dutch hofje. The buildings forming the shopping street are clad in light beige shell limestone. At the heart of the complex stands a freestanding building constructed in red brick.

Design: AMA Group & Ger Rosier

The architects behind Mosae Forum, at Mosae Forum 163, are Jo Coenen and Bruno Albert from Liège. Coenen was involved in the project from the outset and produced an initial design in 1997. However, the commission was initially awarded to Albert, who had won a competition organised by the municipality—a competition in which Coenen had not participated.

During the development of Albert’s plans, it became clear that the original brief had been too limited and that insufficient consideration had been given to issues such as traffic and circulation.

Jo Coenen was then asked to provide a second opinion. Following an extensive study by Coenen’s practice, the project was split into two parts. Jo Coenen was appointed as supervisor and was responsible for designing the North Building, later extended with the Gubbelstraat complex. Bruno Albert produced a new design for the South Building.

Although Coenen’s and Albert’s buildings are clearly distinct, they form a coherent whole through their architectural language and choice of materials. The two sections are connected on the Meuse side by a glass skybridge. The architects worked closely together on the interior design of the municipal offices, as the municipality required the complex to feel like a single building from the inside.

The entire complex is built above a four-level underground car park.

The North Building, designed by Jo Coenen, consists of a paperclip-shaped volume with four to six above-ground storeys, although only three on the Markt side. Its appearance is predominantly bright white. On the Markt side, the end building containing the council chamber is particularly striking, surrounded by a curved screen of light-brown natural stone.

The South Building, designed by Bruno Albert and actually consisting of two buildings, ranges from three to six storeys and is clad in light-grey natural stone. A distinctive feature is the umbrella-like canopy covering the atrium between the historic Markt buildings and the new development.

The shops and apartments on the site of the demolished Gubbelstraat car park were designed by Coenen in a deliberately different architectural language. Instead of glass, steel and light natural stone, this section uses dark brick façades and slate roofs, allowing it to blend more naturally with the existing historic buildings.

The former office complex for the Chamber of Commerce and housing association Sint Servatius at Maasboulevard 5 has a distinctly collage-like character. Based on an overall concept by Jo Coenen, the complex was developed by two architectural practices.

The building consists of two five-storey office wings set at right angles on a monumental sloping plinth. The wing parallel to the Meuse, designed by Jo Coenen, is a slender white-rendered volume resting on round columns. The darker brick wing was designed by AWG Architecten. Despite their contrasting materials and appearance, the two volumes form a coherent composition.

The sloping roof of the plinth descends towards the Meuse, creating a public square. At the base of Coenen’s building, a double-height glazed space contains a suspended mezzanine floor, giving the executive offices views across the river.

The former Chamber of Commerce interiors were later renovated to a design by Jo Coenen for Grouwels Vastgoed.

On the banks of the Meuse, at the current site of Landbouwbelang, a new residential and cultural district is planned. The project will transform this historic industrial site into a contemporary landmark, combining housing, arts education and cultural heritage.

The site has evolved from monastery to factory, and later into an informal creative hub. The new development builds on this layered history, incorporating the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts and Maastricht Conservatory, both part of Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, together with apartments, studios and student accommodation.

The plans also include a viewing platform on the historic crane, a performance space, public waterfront areas and a pedestrian route through the site.

The project is designed by Spanish practice Tuñón y Albornoz Architects, led by Emilio Tuñón Álvarez and Carlos Martínez de Albornoz, in collaboration with Belgian practice Dhoore-Vanweert Architecten from Hasselt.