CUBE Workshop Building by Civic Architects — A Dynamic Hub for Innovation and Engineering

A New Era for Engineering Technology at the University of Twente

The CUBE Workshop Building, designed by Civic Architects in collaboration with VDNDP and Studio Groen+Schild, redefines the architectural landscape of the University of Twente’s Drienerlo campus. Serving the Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET), this 4,734 m² building is more than just an educational structure—it’s an architectural machine for innovation, collaboration, and experimentation.

Constructed by WAM & Van Duren Bouwgroep and WSi Techniek, CUBE integrates workshops, laboratories, offices, and flexible learning spaces within a stacked, compact, and sustainable structure. It stands as a modern counterpart to the iconic Horst complex, one of the campus’s most celebrated modernist buildings from the 1960s.

Design Concept — Technology in Motion

At the heart of CUBE lies a sunken metal and welding workshop—a seven-meter-high space visible immediately upon entry. By lowering the workshop floor 1.4 meters below ground, visitors are offered a panoramic view across the space and into the upper-level labs. This transparency transforms CUBE into a living exhibition of the faculty’s creative and technical processes.

From below-ground manufacturing to upper-level prototyping and testing, every layer of CUBE reveals a different phase of engineering innovation. The building invites visitors to observe, interact, and be inspired by the visible, ongoing work of students and researchers.

Functionality Meets Collaboration

CUBE promotes collaboration over isolation, a key principle in contemporary engineering education. The structure includes:

• Five workshops (welding, metalworking, model building, and assembly)
• 500 m² of laboratories and measuring spaces
• Stacked, flexible floors for optimized space use
• Central atrium connecting all levels with natural light

The pyramid-shaped atrium floods the interior with daylight, while glass partitions maintain visual continuity between research, fabrication, and teaching areas. Circulation spaces and service cores line the building’s eastern side, forming a “technical backbone” that organizes and powers every function efficiently.

Structural Brilliance — Architecture as Function

Designed for adaptability, CUBE’s structural system allows reconfiguration every semester. Key elements include:

• Two main bays with 14-meter spans
• Steel trusses that reduce columns and open up the workshop floor
• Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) cores housing elevators and stairs, adding stability and warmth
• Triangular façade geometry, giving the building a distinctive, modern identity

The structure is both functional and expressive, celebrating the visible mechanics of architecture much like the visible machinery inside.

Machine in the Landscape — Dialogue with Modernism

As part of the Horst complex ensemble, CUBE respects the modernist DNA of its surroundings while introducing a sustainable and climate-conscious design. Its sunken ground floor minimizes height, while the three CLT service towers echo the rhythmic verticality of the original Horst structures. Each façade is designed for environmental performance:

• Northwest façades: transparent for light and views
• Southeast façades: shaded and closed to reduce heat gain

At the base, timber cladding adds human scale and texture, while above, a crisp glass curtain wall reveals the rhythmic steel trusses—melding transparency, engineering, and craftsmanship.

Materiality and Detailing — Beauty of Precision

Every detail in CUBE serves both aesthetic clarity and functional precision.

• Steel trusses, painted fire-resistant blue, emphasize structural rhythm
• Light grey concrete floors and recycled PET acoustic ceilings create a calm, reflective environment
• Larch wood frames and CLT surfaces add warmth and tactility
• Glass partitions maintain transparency and openness
• Exposed installations are neatly integrated, highlighting the technical character of the building

The result is a space that feels both industrial and refined, celebrating the spirit of engineering while maintaining architectural elegance.

CUBE — The Future of Learning and Making

More than a university workshop, CUBE is a manifesto of engineering education and sustainable architecture. It embodies the University of Twente’s mission to merge technical expertise, design thinking, and sustainability. By stacking functions, exposing structure, and blending innovation with openness, CUBE transforms into a living laboratory of modern architecture—a place where design, research, and technology converge.

All the photographs are works of Stijn Bollaert