Description of the project by OMA

OMA, BAM and ISS, working as the consortium PoortCentral, have been awarded the contract for the renovation of Rijnstraat 8 - formerly the office of the VROM Ministry in The Hague.

The project, initiated by the Dutch government, will create a new lease of life for the centrally located building, accommodating the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Infrastructure and Environment, Immigration and Naturalisation Services, and the CAO (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers).

The former VROM Ministry (Transport, Spatial Planning and Environment) will be transformed from the traditional headquarters of a single government department to flexible office spaces suitable for multiple organisations. The current government has been implementing major changes to its organisational structure; OMA's proposal caters to pressures for greater efficiency within the central government.

OMA has developed an integrated concept in collaboration with the building's original architect, Jan Hoogstad. There will be a strong focus on a renewal of the architectural qualities of Hoogstad's design. The new proposal will carefully redevelop the existing 1993 building to accommodate the demands of the contemporary political and social functions of the government ministries, bringing greater transparency and opening it up to the adjacent public space. Solid walls are replaced with glazing whilst public pathways are given greater definition, further connecting the building to the city.

The project has been established in cooperation with Ector Hoogstad Architecten, Wessel de Jonge Architecten, YNNO, DGMR, ARUP, BAM Advies & Engineering and Valstar Simonis.

The consortium, consisting of BAM PPP PGGM, BAM Utiliteitsbouw, BAM Techniek and ISS Nederland, is supported by Rabobank International and Allianz Global Investors Europe.

Text.- OMA