Civic Architects

Eurojust HQ

Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo

EUROJUST HQ

Mecanoo

ARCHITECTS
Mecanoo

MANUFACTURERS
Gispen, Maars, Plaka

YEAR
2017

CATEGORY
Municipal Building

MAIN CONTRACTOR
Heijmans, Rosmalen, the Netherlands

LOCATION
The Hague, The Netherlands

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
DS landschaps Architecten, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

DESIGN TEAM
Mecanoo architecten, Delft and Royal HaskoningDHV, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

AREA
18500 m²

CLIENT
Central Government Real Estate Agency, The Hague, the Netherlands

Text description provided by architect.

Semi-submerged in an undulating dune landscape lies the new Eurojust headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo
Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo

The team of Mecanoo architecten, RoyalHaskoningDHV and landscape architects DS designed a welcoming and secure building with offices, a conference centre.

INTERNATIONAL ZONE

Eurojust is the EU-judicial cooperation unit dealing with cross-border crime. The new headquarters for Eurojust in the International Zone of The Hague were developed together with the Central Government Real Estate Agency, the Ministry of Justice and Security and the municipality.

Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo
Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo

The twelve-storey building has more than four hundred workplaces and accommodates the national representatives of the EU Member States and three non-EU countries, supported by an administrative department.

The site on the Johan de Wittlaan creates an extension of the International Zone, placing Eurojust in close proximity to organisations such as OPCW, the World Forum Convention Center and Europol.

Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo
Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo

The site is adjacent to Zorgvliet Park and a residential area. The complexity of the location and the stringent security measures required a carefully integrated design solution.

DUNE LANDSCAPE:

As a result, Eurojust is linked to the International Zone by an undulating dune landscape with grassy vegetation and wild flowers. By ingeniously incorporating the security requirements within the landscape design, the building has been given an open character.

Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo
Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo

The positioning of the two-floor convention centre underground helps to keep the building at a modest scale in relation to its context. The landscape pulls away from the building along the conference lobby area to reveal a lush water wall and bring daylight into the building’s lowest levels.

CLASSIC BEAUTY

The building is an elegant composition of two volumes: the high-rise tower facing the Johan de Wittlaan and the low-rise plinth on the park side. The rhythm of pure white composite facade elements gives the building a timeless, classic beauty.

Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo
Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo

The windows are subtly tilted either horizontally or vertically, thereby reflecting both the sky and the surrounding landscape.

INTERIOR

Inside, visitors are welcomed into a spacious, double height lobby. From the lobby, there is a gradual transition from open spaces to more private areas.

Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo
Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo

A wide staircase, overlooking the dune landscape, descends to the conference centre.

The higher levels feature a contemporary office environment that encourages cooperation.

Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo
Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo

Due to the efficient positioning of different security zones, the security features have a minimal impact on the architecture.

The carefully detailed interior is characterised by an abundance of daylight, the use of a rich variety of natural materials, delicate motifs and soft colours.

Graphic patterns on the glazed meeting room partitions allow daylight to pass through and create visual connections, while safeguarding privacy.

Eurojust HQ
© Courtesy of Mecanoo


Eurojust HQ
Site Plan

Civic Architects
T +31 20 8460158
Civic Architects
Gebouw West, Donauweg 10, 1043 AJ Amsterdam, Netherlands