New Design for Eindhoven’s Manhole Cover

Atelier van Asseldonk has created a new design for the municipal drainage manhole covers in Eindhoven. The cover features a relief depicting various iconic buildings and objects from the city. It tells the story of Eindhoven—an ode to the design details that shape the city’s identity. The first covers have already been placed in the streets, with the rest of Eindhoven to follow soon.

Aart van Asseldonk (Eindhoven native and designer):
“Until recently, the manhole covers still carried the name ‘Weert’, and that surprised me. A design city like Eindhoven deserves its own manhole cover, so I made it my personal mission to make that happen. The final pattern captures a century of architecture.”

The Design

The foundation of the design is a border divided into five segments, each containing architectural details of Eindhoven’s most iconic landmarks. The shape of the border is inspired by a top view of the Evoluon. The five-part division symbolizes the five villages from which Eindhoven originated.

The details include elements from the Klokgebouw, the Central Station, the Parktheater, the Philips Stadium, and the Bijenkorf building by architect Gio Ponti. It also incorporates reconstruction-era architectural motifs from the Demer, and of course, the distinctive “Eindhoven vibe”. At the center of the cover, the historic outline of the city is displayed—based on Jacob van Deventer’s 16th-century printed map.

The Road to Realization

The first concept emerged in response to an open call in 2020 by the Eindhoven Culture Foundation. This call invited designers, architects, and other creatives to explore innovative ways to bring the city’s history to life for residents and visitors. During this process, Atelier van Asseldonk was paired with the Eindhoven Reconstruction Heritage Foundation. This collaboration resulted in a unique relief featuring elements from that architectural period. With the final Eindhoven manhole cover, Atelier van Asseldonk has continued this work independently and brought it to a fitting conclusion.