RIJNSTRAAT 8 -

THE HAGUE

OMA are working alongside BAM and ISS under the PPP consortium PoortCentraal to transform the former Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment into a modern and transparent government office. OMA has developed an integrated concept for the building in collaboration with the original architect, Jan Hoogstad, based on a renewal of the existing architectural qualities from 1992. After the renovation, the building will house the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ), the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (IenM), the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) and the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). The contemporary political and social functionality of the government ministries will be improved by opening up the structure to the adjacent public space and allowing for greater transparency throughout. Key to the new government building is sustainability, health and openness. The public passage alongside the building will be broadened to form a public square - the Rijksplein - from which the main entrances are easily recognizable. The transparency of the building to the outside will be improved by replacing solid walls with clear glass facades and enlarging the public area on the lower levels. The sense of direction inside the building is enhanced by a new walkway which provides each floor with a view that runs the entire length of the building.