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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. The B30 – Bezuidenhoutseweg 30 in Hague, The Netherlands by KAAN ArchitectenMay 11th, 2017 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: KAAN Architecten The B30 – Bezuidenhoutseweg 30 has been designed by KAAN Architecten as the entry of an international competition (Public Private Partnership – PPP) launched by the Central Government Real Estate Agency, won in 2014 by a consortium led by Facilicom with Braaksma & Roos Architectenbureau, Deerns, Pieters Bouwtechniek, RebelGroup, and KAAN Architecten. The building houses under the same roof five unique users: the independent planning bureaus (CPB, SCP, PBL), the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) and the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA).  Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts
 Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts
 Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts  Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts Originally built in 1917, by the then chief government architect Daniel E.C. Knuttel, as a Ministry during a period of austerity and renovated in 1994 by professor Hans Ruijssenaars, B30 is an imposing structure with a strong, distinct architectural character and it is a Grade 1 listed building in the Netherlands. B30 is located in The Hague city center, alongside the Haagse Bos green space. It stands on Bezuidenhoutseweg, an historical arterial route connecting the Royal Palace Huis ten Bosch and the Dutch Parliament, Het Binnenhof.  Image Courtesy © Sebastian van Damme  Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts KAAN Architecten’s design with its clear layout and architecture transforms the enclosed, hierarchical building – with an atmosphere representative of people’s perception of the State in the early 1900s – into an open, transparent and inviting setting in line with a contemporary and state-of-the-art working environment.  Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts  Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts Thanks to an acute analysis that has mapped the essential qualities of the original design to create an inspired framework, the historic building is seen not as a dead museum piece, but as a vital and sustainable component of the total design. Anchored in its urban setting, broader landscape and historic environment, B30 features an accessible and transparent public ground-floor, including restaurant, café, library, meeting and seminar rooms. All passageways are aligned with each other, creating long sightlines through the building, enhancing contact with the street, woods and gardens, and simplifying orientation and way-finding.  Image Courtesy © Sebastian van Damme  Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts At the core of the building, a large Atrium becomes the quiet heart of B30. Here, Dutch artist Rob Birza was called upon to design a new mosaic floor pattern, a garden abstraction giving life to an internal landscape that is visually connected with the city forest and the new side gardens.  Image Courtesy © Sebastian van Damme  Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts Knuttel’s original design has been expanded on both sides: the Seminar Foyer features meeting rooms, seminar rooms, and a sunken auditorium running through the glazed space, while the Work Foyer is characterized by lounge and working areas, an espresso bar and a library. The Foyers’ partitions feature large pivoted glass doors encased by high-gloss aluminum frames opening onto the gardens.  Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts  Image Courtesy © Sebastian van Damme Both Atrium and the Foyers have been covered by a series of daylight shafts that borrow from the ubiquitous original coffered ceilings and take as their design principle a square base topped with triangular glass. These elements have been positioned for an optimal dispersion of sunlight, while preventing overheating by solar radiation.  Image Courtesy © Sebastian van Damme The monumental staircase grants access to the magnificent former Minister’s Room on the first floor, while the Atrium visually connects with the four upper floors, which accommodates the workspaces of the various institutions. A new level of offices is situated over the “nave” of the building, and flows into the roof, where the height has been reduced from 30 to 20 metres to bring good scale and proportions to the inner courtyard.  Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts The façades of the new additions consist of a sandblasted concrete frames filled with stone and a colouring agent that matches the tones of the original building. Moreover, the change in hierarchical relations and the importance of the ground floor has been expressed in the façade by enlarging the windows: the openings have been taken down to the stone plinth of the building, moving the window sills down and lengthening the jambs. B30 now gives space to contemporary ideas regarding government transparency, seen through the original design. A spatial expression of a shared vision that will inspire curiosity and invite research and debate.  Image Courtesy © Karin Borghouts About KAAN Architecten KAAN Architecten is a Rotterdam based architectural firm operating in a global context and merging practical and academic expertise within the fields of architecture, urbanism and research on the built environment. The studio, led by Kees Kaan, Vincent Panhuysen and Dikkie Scipio, consists of an international team of architects, landscape architects, urban planners, engineers and graphic designers. KAAN Architecten believes in cross-pollination between projects and disciplines as an essential tool to fostering a critical debate within the studio.  Image Courtesy © Casper Rila Since the launch of the firm, KAAN Architecten has handled and supervised a wide range of projects, actively working with the private and the public sector, with project teams that become increasingly multidisciplinary and dynamic. KAAN Architecten maintains a culture of constant evolution, which is essential in a profession that changes at a rapid pace. KAAN Architecten seeks to uphold long-term relationships with its clients, consultants and partners. KAAN Architecten’s projects transcend the traditional notion of scale and typology, ranging from furniture and interiors to urban development and from retail and offices to museums and buildings for health and education.  Image Courtesy © KAAN Architecten  Image Courtesy © KAAN Architecten  Image Courtesy © KAAN Architecten  Image Courtesy © KAAN Architecten  Image Courtesy © KAAN Architecten  Image Courtesy © KAAN Architecten  Image Courtesy © KAAN Architecten
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Tags: Hague, The Netherlands Categories: Building, Housing Development, Residential |
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