The building for the ministry of agriculture, which already additionally houses the ministry for economic affairs, will get a third user: the ministry of general affairs. Since the start of the restauration of the historic ‘Binnenhof’ (inner court) of the centre of government, the ministry has been in search of a temporary workplace which would meet their strict requirements. Originally designed by Gijsbert Friedhoff, the office building was chosen both for its favourable location and it’s monumentality.

This particular context wasn’t new to us, since the building was thoroughly remodelled and refitted by our office in 2012. Since the identity of the building was a key ingredient in creating an appropriate workplace, this worked in our- but also the team’s favour. The original 1950’s interior, with its clear influences from the mid-century design movement, was carefully rejuvenated in 2012, of which its quality was a key factor in the new resident’s selection of the building. To be able to carefully introduce a third layer to the buildings’ interior was a huge honour and a testament to our commitment to reuse: both in monuments and our existing designs.

The project’s aim was to carefully compose a new workspace within the existing limits of the listed building exterior. Existing design elements were delicately interwoven with the top notch demands of the building’s new users. A true engineering marvel!