On September 24, 1966, the Evoluon opened its doors. It was a gift from Philips to the city for their 75th anniversary. Soon the Evoluon became known worldwide for its unique shape and for making science and technology accessible and understandable for everyone. In 1989 the Evoluon was closed by Philips after which it functioned mainly as a congress center. On Saturday, September 24, 2022, the Evoluon is re-opened as a museum with the first exhibition 'Retro Future' by Next Nature Network.
M+R interior architecture was asked by Next Nature to develop the concept and design for the entrance, lounge, restaurant and meeting rooms. The challenge for our office was how, with 'limited' resources, we could create an attractive and also circular design for this national monument in which we could recover the building in its original form and undo the 'clutter'. Our approach is that, everything we now bring into the building, we have given it a clear signature in which we have made maximum use of the existing furnishings and provided it with a 'new skin' in the recognizable color blue. By consistently executing everything new and also temporary in this color blue, we have added an extra layer to the monumental building, so that the original appearance remains very readable, the interior is temporary and transient. The color blue is not determined "out of the blue," it is a primary color that stands for pure and clean and is also often associated with technology and future, in painting, blue plays a major role in atmospheric perspective. The color blue also appears in the branding of Next Nature and is the color of initiator of the Evoluon: Philips.
The idea for the design of the public areas is that everything is circular and can be optimally reused. For the loose furnishings, we chose chairs and tables by Eindhoven (Brabant) Designers and Artists: Maarten Baas (101); Joep van Lieshout (Skull and AVL-chair); Piet Hein Eek (aluminum chair); Michiel van der Kley (Chase G coat rack) and for the terrace and lounge, M+R designed a special modular bench in the shape of an X. The idea is that these objects will be auctioned after their function, each object will receive a unique label with code and certificate of Next nature so that after their function in the Evoluon they will have a second life.
All the furniture is done in the special blue color which makes them even more unique. In the main entrance, the dome of the Evoluon, the Chase G are displayed like Martians, a close encounter..... The cladding (skin) of the existing objects in the Evoluon are done in the environmentally friendly "Oriented Strand Board," or OSB sheet material made from wood chips combined with linooleum for the floor finish and tops of the bars etc. Two table lamps, design by Louis Kalff (architect of the Evoluon), are part of the museum shop, with the wish of our agency that Philips will take these fixtures back into production with sustainable LED technology but in trendy colors. The terrace design where the furniture is also consistently executed in the color blue.
