In partnership with Limburg Real Estate and Rademacher de Vries Architects, the ENCI site (33 hectares) is being transformed from a former cement factory into a mixed-use innovation, work and residential district, where industrial heritage, nature and new forms of economy and living come together. The masterplan connects the Maas and the quarry, turning a once closed industrial complex into an open, accessible area for future generations.
Transformation of heritage buildings such as Oven 8, the Slakhal and klinker halls.
Creation of innovation and production spaces in the Productiekwartier.
Selective residential and live-work concepts in the ENCI-Hart and Maaszone, including co-living, serviced apartments and hybrid typologies.
Cultural, educational, hospitality and recreational facilities linked to quarry heritage and industrial identity.
Public spaces including plazas, green corridors and quarry viewpoints.
Preserve and transform industrial heritage, keeping the story of limestone-to-cement production visible in buildings, structures and public spaces.
Develop a mixed-use innovation district, combining production, research, housing, culture and recreation.
Shape a circular and sustainable hub, focusing on reuse of materials, renewable energy (including quarry water cooling/heating) and energy-positive operations.
Introduce new residential concepts, offering flexible living typologies for students, young professionals, knowledge workers and creative communities.
Create an open and connected area, integrating mobility by foot, bicycle, water and shared mobility.
Strengthen ecological networks, using quarry landscapes, green roofs and corridors to reinforce biodiversity.
Preservation of the orthogonal street pattern as backbone of the new plan.
Circular design methodology: from “inbouwen, opbouwen, hergebruiken” (building in, adding on, reusing) to international best practices such as Belval Luxembourg and MOCAA Cape Town.
Hidden/green parking solutions and a mobility hub at the Maas entrance.
Energy-positive district leveraging heavy grid connections, quarry water and PV roofs.
Public spaces designed as layers of experience, from riverfront plazas to quarry-edge parks.
Development strategy based on phased, financially viable clusters, ensuring heritage reuse goes hand in hand with innovation and new development.
With its combination of heritage, landscape, new residential concepts and innovation, the ENCI site is positioned to become a European model for post-industrial transformation – bridging past and future, city and nature, economy and culture.
ENCI, Maastricht - Heritage as a Reinforced Foundation
Key Ambitions
Strategy & Approach
Phased development: gradual transformation with a clear distinction between short, medium and long-term interventions, ensuring financial feasibility and flexibility to adapt to new insights.
Heritage as foundation: industrial monuments like Oven 8, the cement mills and the Klinkerhal are anchors for reuse, storytelling and identity-building.
Place-making through interim use: temporary programming, cultural events (e.g. Fashionclash, Spielplatz, Art Academy, Future Maastricht) and creative industries activate the site early on.
Energy & water hub: integration of renewable energy, quarry water reuse and storage in battery systems, positioning ENCI as an innovative living lab for sustainable utilities.
Community and governance: step-by-step approach with local, regional and European partners, ensuring the ENCI site becomes a Maastricht-wide and Euregional asset.
Design & Sustainability