Offices
Rijnstraat 8 The Hague
Project Rijnstraat 8, The Hague
Architect O.M.A.
Furniture Lensvelt Contract Furniture
Photography Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti, Kick Smeets, Michael van Oosten
Rijnstraat 8 was the first PPP project (Public, Private Partnership) for OMA. It was the former Ministry of VROM that represented the innovative office classification - the atria was a leading example of sustainability. It was an assignment with several future users, including various ministries, with an existing building curated by a different architect and a design and interior that should be able to withstand all (un)conceivable changes over the next 25 years. Challenge is to make a flexible office building for about 12,000 seats, that also has to comply with more than 500+ pages of requirements. OMA’s design gives the building a new connected relationship with the city of The Hague, both visually through a large new glass facade and functionally by creating a new, enlarged passageway that functions as a public square. The open offices help to reveal the internal functions of the building. The central conservatory, surrounded by administrative squares and office landscapes allows for a variety of meeting and work spaces. Flexible ways of working that require less office space and with an extensive range of furniture providing exactly what one needs at any given time.