Rijnstraat 8 is an imposing structure built in 1992 next to The Hague central station, originally designed by Jan Hoogstad for the Ministry of VROM with the aim of an overall workspace equality. The building has a very introvert character and lifeless appearance: a rigid core connects cold atriums and five slabs with blind façades, offices have a repetitive atrium-oriented distribution.
The renovation project opens up Rijnstraat 8 with new glass façades and bright rooftops, while the core and atriums work as a single system. The building becomes vibrant, user-friendly both for workers and inhabitants, and a state-of-the-art venue for thousand of Dutch government employees.
Rijnstraat 8 is a new city entrance. The lobby unveils an eye-catching ambience, congress facilities and cafés animating the four lower levels with a rich sequence of public interiors. Above, Rijnstraat 8 blends into a more private office building by breaking off the corridor/wall distribution of the old project and focusing on comfortable, spacious, extra-high work areas with natural light and outside view.
A new climate concept turns the atriums into inside spaces, enhancing vivid communication between the diverse areas.