This thesis has been carried out in three steps. The first one consisted in the collection of documents and information regarding the history of Eindhoven and the development of Philips & Co. in the city, with a particular focus on the project area, Strijp-s. Starting from the critical issues of the masterplan West 8 for that area, an alternative masterplan was developed.

The following step was deeply connected with the necessity of finding architectural and technological solutions concerning the materials involved. To achieve this goal the inspiration carne from biomimicry. An important part of the research was thus focused on the field of biomimicry, investigating the relationship between the vegetal and animal world and the solutions in the field of architecture which imitate natural mechanisms. The research led to the discovery of new innovative materials and the possibility of combining them with more traditional solutions. The element which inspired the future image of the architectures in the project was the cocoon and its thermoregulatory envelope. The material which imitates its properties at best is ETFE.