- Delightfully crafted model the result of a decade of work by DAF Museum volunteer
- Meticulous details include hand-painted figures, authentic interiors and functioning lighting
- Model-maker Rien Gerrits is one of DAF Museum’s 200 dedicated volunteers
- Project continues to expand with ongoing additions
The meticulously rendered model, crafted by model maker and museum volunteer, Rien Gerrits, 73, offers visitors a unique perspective on the company’s iconic and architecturally important headquarters. An ongoing project, the model building stands as a testament to the long and rich heritage of DAF Trucks in the Netherlands.
Gerrits, a member of the Eindhoven Model Builders Club, embarked on the ambitious DAF building project in 2013. Originally commissioned to create only the building’s facade, Gerrits has expanded the scope of the project significantly as his work progressed.
“I was asked if I could build a model of the facade of DAF’s main building,” he said, “Just the front, pretty easy actually. After I started working on it, I wanted to add the wings of the building too, but they are set back a little from the main building. The mural in the hall couldn’t be overlooked either, of course. And why have offices without desks and workers in them? And what about the lighting? It just went on and on.”
“I was asked if I could build a model of the facade of DAF’s main building,” he said, “Just the front, pretty easy actually. After I started working on it, I wanted to add the wings of the building too, but they are set back a little from the main building. The mural in the hall couldn’t be overlooked either, of course. And why have offices without desks and workers in them? And what about the lighting? It just went on and on.”
The model showcases an extraordinary level of craftsmanship. Details include the carefully hand-painted figures and the desk of DAF Trucks’ co-founder Hub van Doorne visible through first-floor windows. —has been painstakingly recreated. Gerrits continues to refine the model, currently working on the intricate railings and porter’s lodge.
“In the meantime, the project has taken on a life of its own,” Added Gerrits, “I’ve been working on the model for ten years now and it’s nowhere near finished yet. At the moment, I’m working on the railings and the porter’s lodge. There are 34 different sets of railings, and it takes me a whole day to make just one.”
