Glas Award 2010 - Ministry of Finance The Hague

The Ministry of Finance in The Hague has been awarded the 2010 Glas Award

In order to transform Jo Vegter and Mart Bolten’s austere concrete monument into a lively new element in the urban landscape, we added a strong measure of transparency. A glass façade wraps the concrete structure, with silvery olive trees rather than sheer walls now on view to passers-by. The cut-away entrance makes the building more approachable and less formal in appearance, effectively giving it a new heart. All this was achieved while preserving the original structure, which is one of the best examples of Brutalism in the Netherlands.