CAST

Architecture and Urban Planning Cultural Servicescastonline.nl

CAST is a Dutch non-profit regional center for architecture and urban planning in Tilburg, North Brabant, founded in 1994. It facilitates dialogue on spatial quality through talkshows, exhibitions, design workshops, and a biennial architecture prize, funded by municipal subsidies and corporate partners.

Company typePrivate
Founded-
HeadquartersTilburg, Netherlands
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What CAST does

CAST (Centrum voor Architectuur en Stedebouw Tilburg e.o.) is a Dutch non-profit cultural organization founded in 1994 and headquartered in Tilburg, North Brabant. It operates as a regional center for architecture and urban planning, functioning as a platform for dialogue about spatial quality in the built environment rather than a commercial service provider. The organization serves architects, urban planners, developers, housing corporations, local government officials, and the general public in Tilburg and the surrounding region, addressing what it describes as a lack of discussion and public awareness around spatial quality.

CAST's core offerings are programs and events rather than software products. Its portfolio includes the BOUWSTOF talkshow, exhibitions, excursions, expert meetings (CAST&co), design workshops (ontwerpateliers) under the Nieuwe Verbindingen program, opinion pieces, and the biennial Tilburg Architectuurprijs architecture prize co-organized with Gemeente Tilburg. Its primary digital touchpoint is the castonline.nl website, which publishes articles, event listings, and program information. There is no commercial product, no app, no API, and no disclosed technology platform beyond standard website functionality.

The organization is funded through subsidies and partnership contributions rather than commercial revenue. Three named subsidy partners provide institutional funding — Gemeente Tilburg (municipality), Kunstloc Brabant (regional cultural fund), and Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie (national creative industry fund) — alongside 10 main corporate partners drawn from the regional housing, construction, development, and architecture sectors (including Tiwos, BPD Ontwikkeling BV, Van de Ven Bouw en Ontwikkeling, Van Wijnen, Van der Weegen, Bedaux de Brouwer Architecten, TBV Wonen, DAT architecten, WonenBreburg, and SDK Vastgoed). The organization is private and independent, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or venture capital ownership identified.

CAST firmographics

Firmographics

Name: CAST
Legal name: Centrum voor Architectuur en Stedebouw Tilburg e.o.
Website: https://castonline.nl
Company type: Private
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: CAST is a Dutch non-profit regional center for architecture and urban planning in Tilburg, North Brabant, founded in 1994. It facilitates dialogue on spatial quality through talkshows, exhibitions, design workshops, and a biennial architecture prize, funded by municipal subsidies and corporate partners.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

CAST industry classification

Industry

Product category: Architecture and Urban Planning Cultural Services
NAICS: Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)
SIC: Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)
akta.pro primary industry: Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

Architecture center
Urban planning dialogue
Spatial quality programs
Design workshops
Architecture awards

Where CAST is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Tilburg
HQ country: Netherlands
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

CAST business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Marketing channels8 records

CAST product offering

Product offering

Core offering

CAST (Centrum voor Architectuur en Stedebouw Tilburg e.o.) is a non-profit architecture center based in Tilburg, Netherlands, that organizes talkshows (BOUWSTOF), expert meetings (CAST&co), design workshops (Nieuwe Verbindingen), exhibitions, excursions, opinion pieces, and the biennial Tilburg Architectuurprijs to facilitate dialogue about the spatial quality of the built environment among professionals and the general public.

Product overview

CAST operates as a Center for Architecture and Urban Planning in Tilburg and surrounding area. The organization functions as a cultural institution rather than a software product company. Its primary offerings include educational programs, community events, architecture awards, design workshops, and publications about urban development. The website serves as an information portal showcasing their program portfolio including BOUWSTOF talkshows, CAST&co expert meetings, the Tilburg Architectuurprijs (architecture prize), Nieuwe Verbindingen design workshops, and Tourtje Tilburg video series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

BOUWSTOF Talkshow Regular talkshow event for professionals and citizens featuring discussions on architecture and urban development topics in Tilburg and the region.
CAST&co Expert Meetings Expert meetings and discussions on specific urban planning topics, bringing together professionals and stakeholders to address regional spatial challenges.
Tilburg Architectuurprijs Biennial architecture prize recognizing outstanding architectural projects in Tilburg, organized by CAST in cooperation with Gemeente Tilburg and awarded across first, second, and third prize categories.
Nieuwe Verbindingen Design Workshops Collaborative design workshops (ontwerpateliers) addressing specific urban development challenges in Tilburg and the surrounding region, including expert meetings, work sessions, and exhibitions.
Tourtje Tilburg Video Series Video reportage series ("Tourtje Tilburg met Tim") exploring notable architectural and urban development sites and themes in Tilburg.
CAST Website and Newsletter Digital information platform providing articles, event listings, program information, organization news, and a newsletter subscription about architecture and urban development initiatives in Tilburg and the surrounding region.

Companies that use CAST

Customer profile

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

CAST technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

CAST partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered main, core and supporting.

TiwosmainOthersMain partner of CAST - housing corporation participating in architecture and urban development initiatives
BPD Ontwikkeling BVmainOthersMain partner of CAST - development company involved in urban development projects
Van de Ven Bouw en OntwikkelingmainOthersMain partner of CAST - construction and development company
Van WijnenmainOthersMain partner of CAST - construction company participating in regional development
Van der WeegenmainOthersMain partner of CAST - construction and development company
Bedaux de Brouwer ArchitectenmainOthersMain partner of CAST - architecture firm regularly participating in CAST programs and awards
TBV WonenmainOthersMain partner of CAST - housing corporation for Tilburg region
DAT architectenmainOthersMain partner of CAST - architecture firm
WonenBreburgmainOthersMain partner of CAST - housing corporation
SDK VastgoedmainOthersMain partner of CAST - real estate company
Gemeente TilburgcoreOthersSubsidy partner and co-organizer of Tilburg Architectuurprijs - municipality providing financial support
Kunstloc BrabantsupportingOthersSubsidy partner - cultural funding organization for Brabant region
Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve IndustriesupportingOthersSubsidy partner - national fund for creative industry supporting CAST initiatives

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

CAST competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Others

Aedes: Dutch umbrella association for housing corporations — comparable stakeholder community to CAST's main partner base (Tiwos, TBV Wonen, WonenBreburg), representing the same constituency CAST convenes around spatial quality.
Pakhuis de Zwijger: Amsterdam-based independent platform for programming on urban development, housing, and the built environment via talks, debates, and publications — comparable in convening role on city-making topics but as a broader cultural venue rather than an architecture-specific centre.

Broad incumbents

Het Nieuwe Instituut: National Dutch museum and institute covering architecture, design, and digital culture with a much broader mandate and national reach — overlaps with CAST on architecture programming but at substantially greater scale and scope.
BNA (Royal Institute of Dutch Architects): Dutch professional association representing architects, with overlapping remit in promoting architectural quality and convening the profession — a broader incumbent that engages similar stakeholders to CAST on spatial quality debates.

Regional players

Vlaams Architectuurinstituut (VAi): Flemish (Belgian) architecture institute operating a similar exhibition, debate, and publication model around architecture and urban planning — comparable activity profile but serving the Flanders region rather than the Netherlands.

Direct peers

ARCAM (Amsterdam Centre for Architecture): Amsterdam's architecture centre runs a comparable model of exhibitions, talks, debates, and publications to convene professionals and citizens around architecture and urban planning in the Amsterdam region — directly parallel to CAST's Tilburg regional mandate.
Architectuur Lokaal: Dutch network and knowledge platform for local architecture centers and community engagement on spatial quality — directly comparable to CAST as both operate within the same Dutch ecosystem of regional architecture dialogue organizations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

CAST financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

CAST leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

CAST funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

CAST M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CAST

What does CAST do?

Is CAST a public or private company?

CAST is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was CAST founded?

CAST was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is CAST based?

CAST is headquartered in Tilburg, Netherlands, in the Europe region.

Who are CAST's main competitors?

Others on record are Aedes and Pakhuis de Zwijger. Broad incumbents are Het Nieuwe Instituut and BNA (Royal Institute of Dutch Architects). Vlaams Architectuurinstituut (VAi) is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are ARCAM (Amsterdam Centre for Architecture) and Architectuur Lokaal.

Does CAST have an API?

No public API is recorded for CAST.

What industry is CAST in?

CAST's product category is Architecture and Urban Planning Cultural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAO, Community Engagement & Participatory Planning. Its NAICS code is 541310 and its SIC code is 7340.