Provinciehuis Zuid-Holland, built in 1963 to a design by Fritz Peutz, has been radically renovated and expanded. Kraaijvanger Architects designed the renovation as an imaginative transformation that does justice to the original architecture. The project shows the gains to be made when a brutalist building is remodeled in a smart and sustainable way. In the design for the renovated Provinciehuis Zuid-Holland, bringing in daylight (Dutch light) was the main theme. An essential element in the design is the new roof over the entire third floor, into which large openings have been inserted. Irregular, trapezoidal hoods filter light and reduce the heat load of direct sunlight.

The Province of South Holland has renovated its main building in The Hague and made it more sustainable. To achieve sustainability ambitions, create layout flexibility, the Province of South Holland needed to modernize its main building and a multi-year maintenance plan but also a master plan was designed to make the ensemble of the Province as a whole more sustainable. The modernization and renovation will result in an energy-neutral building, which is in line with existing policy goals on climate as recorded in the Green Citydeal EnergieRijk Den Haag. Architectural interventions with fully integrated building physics and technical installation solutions, like the replacement of the third floor by a ‘suspended’ sustainable roof structure, contribute to these goals. The new element tops architect Peutz’s building like a refined, minimalist cornice. The sustainability and renovation of technology and construction, including 15 years of maintenance, will be realized by team Kuijpers, Kraaijvanger Architects, DGMR and Valstar Simonis.

The team designed the renovation, an inventive sustainable transformation that does justice to the original architecture, while keeping in mind the space the province will need in the future and its ambition to climate-proof all of its buildings.

The third floor will be replaced by a ‘suspended’ sustainable roof structure. The new element tops architect Peutz’s building like a refined, minimalist cornice. The entrance is also more monumental and transparent.

Unexpectedly, the existing Statenzaal and events hall are mirrored around the building’s central axis. This is an unsolicited yet logical and relatively simple intervention that makes it possible to better facilitate the on average 200 events that take place here each year. It also creates a series of spatial experiences that do justice to the original, logical sequence of spaces architect Peutz created when the building still faced Malieveld and thus recreates an important part of the cultural-historical value of the original building.

The new events hall, with its entrance on the square, is an energetic and inviting place where citizens, civil servants and entrepreneurs can meet and work together. Access to the new Statenzaal is via the events hall. By means of the glass façade in the former entrance, the new location on Zuid-Hollandlaan provides the Statenzaal with a visual connection to the city as well as an expression of the transparency of politics. The Province of South Holland underlines its ambition to connect with its citizens by making smart use of existing building structures.

Kraaijvanger searched integrally with its cooperation partners for architectural interventions with fully integrated building physical and installation technical solutions. The roof makes the building more sustainable in terms of health, light, energy and materialization. The former second-floor courtyard is topped by a central zone with skylights that filter the natural light that falls into the building in a specific way, keeping out direct sunlight. This not only helps to prevent the interior from overheating, it is also an expression of our aim to make the building lighter. The orthogonal ceiling grid that incorporates the skylights is part of a pattern, the design of which was inspired by Jan Schoonhoven’s art and the wall reliefs by Henk van der Plas present in the province’s offices.

Provinciehuis Zuid-Holland is nominated for the 2022 Dutch Daylight Awards

Sustainable Measures
Solar panels on the roof in combination with underground energy storage ensure that building-specific energy is generated sustainably and locally. Insulation of the existing façades and triple glazing help both to prevent (over)heating and to reduce the cooling load. In addition, materials are reused if possible and any new materials are of sound origin.

Layout Flexibility
For the layout of the building shell, the original Peutz pattern has been preserved in two directions. The module size of 2 x 4 m, which is eminently suitable for office layouts, can easily be fitted with system walls and is fully compatible in terms of construction and installation technology.

In a joint venture with the other members of the team, Kraaijvanger explored the boundaries of the brief and subsequently designed a transformation in which the qualities and aesthetic values of the building are maximally utilized and improved. The various integrated solutions that the team introduced and the way daylight enters the building are the design’s most striking aspects.

The various integral interventions create a pleasant stay climate. From Malieveld, the building now looks taller and statelier. All in all, the team created a pleasant working environment that expresses the ambition of the Province of South Holland to be more visible in a contemporary way, that is: renowned for reuse and efficiency. The design of the building shell will be elaborated in the coming year; subsequently, the interior design will be integrated.

The collaboration of Kuijpers, Kraaijvanger Architects, DGMR and Valstar Simonis that won the tender will complete the renovation in 2022.