Mecanoo / Royal Haskoning to Design New Eurojust HQ in The Hague

The Mecanoo / Royal Haskoning joint design team is the winner for the realization of the new The Hague headquarters of Eurojust, an agency of the European Union handling the judicial co-operation of cross-border criminal matters. The jury, consisting of representatives of the Dutch Ministry of Safety and Justice, Eurojust, the Municipality of The Hague and the Government Buildings Agency, chaired by the Dutch Government Architect, announced the winner this week.

According to the jury, the design vision of Mecanoo-Haskoning is most in keeping with the new location of Eurojust to aspects of architectural quality, urban integration and landscape, functionality and program of requirements, maintenance and sustainability, and integrated design processin relation. The next step is elaborating the design vision into a final design that is expected to be finished at the end of 2013. Two years later, the new building is scheduled to be completed.

The new Eurojust accommodation is planned on the Jan Willem Frisolaan, in the central area of the International Zone in The Hague. Offering a suitable office location for organizations like Eurojust is part of cabinet policy and fits in with the development of The Hague as International City of Peace and Justice.

Project Description from the Architects:

world forum

Mecanoo, in collaboration with Royal Haskoning and DS Landsacpe Architects have teamed up to design the new Eurojust premises. The new complex will form a part of The Hague World Forum area of Peace, Safety and Justice. The concept of the dune landscape designed for the World Forum area will be continued across the Johan de Wittlaan. This design concept illustrates a strong connection with Eurojust’s neighboring organizations, the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) and Europol. The atmosphere of soft slopes and grassy vegetation is designed to sit within the lush surroundings of The Hague’s ‘Green Heart’.

inviting and safe

The Eurojust building feels elegant, modern and spacious, while respecting the contextual urban history of the area. The building is in alignment with the orientations of the original buildings on this side of Johan de Wittlaan which simultaneously creates a landscaped public square. The square is inviting and offers views onto the main entrance of Eurojust. The tower is focused on this entrance area, the World Forum area and The Hague. The low-rise stays close to the scale of the neighboring villas and apartment buildings. The careful integration of the building into the site is made possible by placing two levels underground where the conference facility is located. The adjacent sloping garden brings daylight into the basement levels and strengthens the identity of the green district. The landscape design incorporates the highest standards for Eurojust in a natural way by including dunes and water features.

elegant

The building architecture represents the core values of Eurojust. The light façade is composed of an alternating rhythm of open and closed composite elements which give the building a modern but timeless appearance. Glass panels alternate tilting forwards or backwards and turned left or right so that the sky as well as the surrounding dune landscape is reflected in the glass and depth is created in the façade. Inside the building, visitors are welcomed in a spacious, double height lobby with views out onto the dune garden. The foyer space has several zones which range from open and public to more private. A wide staircase with views out onto the surrounding landscape and descends to the lower floors. The water of the pond in the dune landscape is reflected in the ceiling of the lobby.

Design: until end of 2013
Realization: 2014-2015