Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Rem Koolhaas (OMA)
2003




This embassy, which won the Architekturpreis Berlin in 2003 and the Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture in 2005, is sited along the river. Although the landscaping tends to block a clear view of the architecture, this embassy is less barricaded and less fortress-like than many in Berlin. (There are many new embassy buildings, of course, once Berlin became the new capital of the united Germany; see the Berlin index on this site for many other embassy structures.)

The embassy, with a total area of 8,500 square meters, has offices, residences, and parking.

Beautifully landscaped site overlooking the Spree River

 

The central cube

The design includes one L-shaped building reaching the edge of the site and a transparent cube in the middle. The L-shaped building is translucent with an aluminum membrane. Supposedly, the materials emphasize the idea of the transparent Dutch government.

 

The southeast corner


 
 

The ambassador's main meeting room

A black cube extends from the main cube with a view of the river.




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© 2016 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site) and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.