All the largest television and radio broadcasting companies in the Netherlands are located in Hilversum, as well as the famous Institute of Image and Sound. However, despite its powerful infrastructure, the media park needs to keep up with the rapidly changing industry, which from a recently closed sphere in recent years, thanks to the development of technologies and new forms of communication and dissemination of information, has become accessible to everyone, albeit at different levels. …
UNStudio was selected to develop the development plan by media park managers and the Hilversum authorities. It covers the construction of new buildings with a total area of 36,000 m2 on an area of almost nine hectares. In addition, its authors have proposed "five pillars of growth" for the complex. Among them is the transformation of a media park into a hub for interdisciplinary cooperation (say, the film industry and virtual reality specialists) and the transformation of talented youth from students of universities located here into employees of companies based here. A "public interface" is also proposed, which includes the mentioned Institute of Image and Sound, as well as new open studios, conference rooms, etc., that is, "a social ecosystem where innovation is a performance."
Among other ideas - the creation of a community with the help of new hotels and other forms of short-term "habitation" of a modern, modular type, in combination with all the other service objects necessary for an active life - in a park environment. The existing unique technological infrastructure will be supplemented and strengthened: holograms and artificial intelligence are named among the topics of possible projects. The media park itself will turn into a smart, more inclusive and humane city, explains UNStudio founder Ben van Berkel, citing among other things
sensory technologies. In addition, the development plan includes additional landscaping, sports and leisure facilities, urban farms, etc.
The architects also want to change the program of the media park, making it more "festival", that is, with concerts, exhibitions and other public events open to all.
The five zones of the new media park include the Creative Hub with office and educational facilities, a main plaza, cinemas and exhibition areas. The T-Campus contains laboratories, studios, offices and sports facilities, while the Media Citywalk contains studios, a hotel with a conference center, cafes and restaurants, and a spa. Tech-Mix and Media Downtown connect workspaces and living spaces.
In terms of transport infrastructure, the city officials refer to the Park & Ride system with the cable car and the expansion of the viaduct leading to the media park. A network of pedestrian and bicycle paths will be developed within the complex. The goal is to achieve a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050, for this it is planned to use resources highly efficiently, including secondary ones, to strengthen greening, etc.
