New ‘social ecosystem’ to transform creative industries hub
In 2017, UNStudio was selected by Hilversum Municipality and Media Park Enterprise to develop an urban vision outlining the transformation of the city’s Media Park into a leading destination for future content creation. Following a collaborative process between all three parties, the plans have now been released. Wimar Jaeger, Vice Mayor, stated: “Our goal is to create a media park that is vibrant and affordable, an international magnet: a place where talent can grow.”
The need for a new urban concept was prompted by the changing nature of media production, which was recently restricted to professionals working in high-tech facilities. With the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and apps, content creation has become a popular and familiar activity among the general public. The vision for the new Hilversum Media Park was conceived in response to this evolving environment, with the aim of attracting top-tier young talent to ensure its success.
To this end, UNStudio have proposed 5 ‘Pillars of Growth’ for the park. An industry hotspot will encourage cross-disciplinary links between once-disparate teams of VR developers, film producers and other creatives. Community amenities, including short-term modular accommodation, will enable workers to spend time on campus outside of working hours. Sport and recreation areas are included encourage healthy living, with green vegetation extended to the west of the site. Aside from worker facilities, public spaces will for cater for audiences used to engaging with content in new ways. Looking to the future, the concept builds on the park’s reputation as a leader in broadcasting by allowing networks to be tested on site, with research spaces for innovation in fields such as hologram tech and artificial intelligence.
The park will benefit from a smart-city style network, with a proposed app providing local information such as data on weather, navigation, and available meeting spaces. Ben van Berkel, UNStudio founder and principal architect, commented: “When utilised and applied correctly, technology can not only make cities smarter, but also more humane, social and inclusive. Sensor-based technologies also enable you to design and operate city districts and individual sites in ways that are highly relevant to their specific conditions and to their end-users."
Lucy Nordberg
TenderStream Head of Research
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