Rotterdam-based architectural firm KAAN Architecten completed the Supreme Court of the Netherlands in the Hague, which is located along the Korte Voorhout and adjacent to Malieveld park. The designed is differentiated from its functional, hard and ethereal, rough and refined design, and introduced as the new home of the highest court in the Netherlands exhibiting a tight relationship between openness and security.

The project was initiated in 2011, and in fact, designed by KAAN Architecten as the entry of an international Public Private Competition (Publiek Private Samenwerking - PPS) won in 2012 by Poort van Den Haag, the consortium made up of BAM PPP B.V., PGGM, BAM Bouw en Techniek B.V., ISS Nederland B.V. and KAAN Architecten.

The building covers 18.000 m2 area and houses a staff of 350, is located in the elegantly historic city center of The Hague. Due to its strategic location in the new design, with the measured vibrancy of its facades, interacts with the trees across the street announcing the city gateway.

The main entrance is flagged by six bronze statues of legal scholars seated on pedestals, with a single pane of glass subtly marking the transition from the street to the interior. One of the most significant aspect of design is the transparency of the building, signifying both accessibility to the public as well as the soundness and clarity of judgment. 

The entrance hall (where the courtrooms and the press room are located) forms the public area; it has double height ceilings that span the full length of the building. The floors and walls are of a light grey limestone that exudes a velvety texture. The large and small courtrooms, which hold 400 and 80 visitors respectively, are distinguished by brown-veined translucent alabaster walls. In the middle of the entrance hall, in between the two courtrooms, hangs the artwork “Hoge Raad” by Dutch painter Helen Verhoeven. It was commissioned specially for the Supreme Court.

The upper floors accommodate offices, a library with study places, a restaurant, and council and meeting chambers. Daylight permeates the building through several skylights, forming the core of the distinct domains of the Council (Raad) and Procurator General Office (Parket). The two departments are identified by the use of different materials: a vertically striped Marmara Equator marble in the Council, and an organic Skyline marble in the Procurator General Office area.

At the circumference of the openings each floor has pantries with coffee machines, seating, and bookcases. The light, the sightlines throughout the space, and the open perspective inspire social interaction, encourage the exchange of ideas and opinions, and allows for informal gatherings.

Three sides of the building are exposed to sun over the course of a day. These facades are climate controlled through the use of a spacious cavity in the glass casings: glass boxes that not only keep out the heat and cold, but also the sound of traffic outside. Nonetheless, the windows can be opened if desired, while the sun blinds and light filters can also be individually regulated. This controlled double protection produces a layered facade, flat and yet canted, a subtle nuance that adds even more elegance to the whole.

The Supreme Court of the Netherlands will open to the public on Saturday April 23, 2016.

Project Facts

Location: Korte Voorhout 8, The Hague (The Netherlands)

Client: Rijksvastgoedbedrijf

Architect: KAAN Architecten (Kees Kaan, Vincent Panhuysen, Dikkie Scipio)

Design team: Allard Assies, Luca Baialardo, Christophe Banderier, Bas Barendse, Dennis Bruijn, Timo Cardol, Sebastian van Damme, Marten Dashorst, Luuk Dietz, Willemijn van Donselaar, Paolo Faleschini, Raluca Firicel, Michael Geensen, Cristina Gonzalo Cuairán, Joost Harteveld, Walter Hoogerwerf, Michiel van der Horst, Marlon Jonkers, Jan Teunis ten Kate, Marco Lanna, Giuseppe Mazzaglia, Ana Rivero Esteban, Joeri Spijkers, Koen van Tienen, Noëmi Vos

Design phase: December 2012 – January 2014

Construction phase: September 2013 – January 2016

Contractor: Consortium Poort van Den Haag: BAM PPP B.V., PGGM, BAM Bouw en Techniek B.V., ISS Nederland B.V. and KAAN Architecten

Structural engineering: Arup Nederland

Electrical engineering: BAM Bouw en Techniek

Mechanical engineering: Arup Nederland

Site supervision: KAAN Architecten, BAM Bouw en Techniek

Constructor mechanical + electrical installations: BAM Bouw en Techniek

Fire, comfort, acoustics, security: DGMR

Spatial acoustics: Level Acoustics 

Building control: CBB 

Parking advisor: Wim van Vlierden

Site area: 2.500 m2

Total floor area: 18.000 m2 (including underground parking)

Cost: 59.000.000 € (realisation)

Artwork: “Hoge Raad” (oil on canvas, 400 x 647 cm, 2015) by Helen Verhoeven

All images © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

> via KAAN Architecten