Malietower, The Hague
The office tower stands at a
salient point above a motorway, where it marks the transition from urban area
to green zone and serves the motorway traffic as a city gateway. This
last-named capacity is strengthened by the direction the transparent glass
facades give the building. These fold inward leaving the steel structure freely
visible. The effect of shadow and the dynamics this creates can be seen by
motorists passing underneath. The side walls, whose glass continues right up to
the overhanging roof, have clear strips of fenestration. Above each of these a
band of figured and reflecting glass acts as a sunbreak; round glass blocks in
the concrete inner leaf speck the facade with points of light. Wing-shaped
aluminium slats screen off the parking space occupying the first five floors.
These slats merely alternate above the entrance, making the garage function all
the more visible as such. The girders bearing the building aloft dictate the
ambience of the main entrance hall.
Client
AM Development (formerly
Multi Vastgoed)
Architect
Benthem
Crouwel Architekten
Gross
floor area
50000
m²
Start
design
1991
Start
construction
1994
Completion
1996
