BarentsKrans

Project Description

A successful collaboration between the renowned law and notary firm BarentsKrants and the Amsterdam firm Hofman Dujardin Architects has resulted in a remarkable building renovation in The Hague. Before BarentsKrans moved into their new location, near the Dutch Parliament building in the city centre, they commissioned Hofman Dujardin Architects to revolutionise the building. The building was constructed in 1950 and commands floor space of 5,200m². It was originally divided into a front building, with a majestic marble façade facing the main street, and building at the rear of the site, with two spacious atriums separating them. By the time the teams of partners, lawyers and other employees moved in to the headquarters, Hofman Dujardin Architects had breathed new life into the building and created a modern, sleek and sophisticated space.

The design team opened up and linked the atriums, creating a larger, more open and transparent central area in the heart of the building, flooded with natural light. The use of materials and the positioning of furniture and internal structures create three distinct spaces within this one central area. At one end of the central area is an atrium containing the legal library area with working desks and neat, ordered, wooden shelving. At the other end is an atrium hosting a less formal space with a coffee bar, a café-style bench with high stools and a large flat-screen TV. Between them is a central block containing three floors of floating, open balconies that connect the front and rear buildings and the two atriums.