A case study : to design a XL supermarket in the Netherlands and its consequences

Abstract

On the outskirts of the centre of Eindhoven (a medium-sized town in the south of the Netherlands), an existing supermarket located along the ring road, which forms part of a chain named “Albert Heijn,” was doubled in size in 2002, making it the flagship of a new “extra large” formula, called “AH XL”. The existing establishment of the supermarket was completely transformed, both the interior and exterior. In this case study we will explain the thoughts and ideas behind the original concept from the perspective of the architect. The original material, such as sketches, models and presentations has been used to construct a timeline of the design process. This paper tries to make clear which stakeholders, references and external influences were important for the development of the final design.