Master’s students at the Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) staged protests during the school’s graduation exhibition to demand action against overcrowded facilities. Demonstrators gathered at the entrance to the design school show during its opening on Saturday.
In an open letter to the board of DAE, posted on October 9, students claim that they have been allotted a “derisory amount of space” in which to develop their projects. The letter goes on to say that the inequity “is detrimentally affecting the coexistence of students, our motivation, and ultimately, the quality of our work.” Their demands include a maker space, a dedicated table and chair for each student, longer workshop hours, access to amenities such as bathrooms and electricity, and financial transparency regarding the space expansion. If the demands are not met, the letter states that students will “escalate” their actions.
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DAE has been located in the Dutch city of Eindhoven since its founding in 1947. The school is currently housed in Witte Dame, a former factory complex. The lease ends in 2027, and after briefly entertaining a move to Roermond, a city about thirty-two miles to the southeast, the DAE board announced it had found a new home for the school in the Kanaalzone in Eindhoven. According to a press release from 2025, the school is planning to relocate in September 2028.
In the interim, however, master’s students argue the cramped workspaces and the push to rent external spaces at students’ expense is tantamount to “economical segregation.” The letter, which has 178 signatures to date, continues:
“Our concerns have been repeatedly voiced last year through student representatives and reiterated during these first weeks of the academic year. As students we feel abandoned, mistreated and surprised at the lack of interest from the school’s side to provide an environment where quality work can be produced.”
According to a post on the Instagram account of the UK magazine Dezeen, DAE executive board chair Raf De Keninck said that the school had taken steps to minimize the disruption to students during the move and that he was confident that the DAE’s students and staff would devise a solution.