Justice Office

Rijksvastgoedbedrijf

Commissioned by the Dutch Central Government Real Estate Agency (Rijksvastgoedbedrijf), the new building for the Ministry of Justice in Zaanstad has been completed. This unique complex of approximately 7,650 m², designed by Studio PROTOTYPE and built by BINX Smartility West, marks a milestone in sustainable construction. It is largely composed of a timber CLT (cross-laminated timber) load-bearing structure — the largest CLT structure the Central Government Real Estate Agency has realized to date. The result is a functional and sustainable facility, including office, meeting, and training spaces.

For our client, being able to quantify the benefits of the design was essential. Together with the integrated project team, we identified parameters that were optimized within a parametric model. The façade, equipped with parametrically designed louvers, strikes a balance between daylight, energy consumption, and privacy. The result is an adaptive louver structure on the façade, positioned to limit visibility into the building while maximizing views outward and optimizing the balance between solar gain and daylight access. Additionally, the louvers contribute to an energy-efficient building with ample natural light and limited visibility from the outside. As a result, the building is Paris-proof (aligned with the Paris Agreement) and energy-generating.

In this building, safety and openness are in balance. A seemingly closed bastion opens up to its surroundings through the three green light courts. The structure of these courtyards and the layered louvered façade — behind which the offices are located — creates a protected and green working environment that fosters well-being and a connection with nature.
The design aligns perfectly with the peat polder landscape of Westzaan, with many open spaces, green courtyards, and a nature-inclusive layout that considers local flora, fauna, and climate change. The silver-gray façade material reflects the tones of the green riverbank, softening the boundary between the building and nature.

The design is deeply rooted in the surrounding peat polder landscape of Westzaan. The clear building structure is organized around three light courts, which ensure optimal daylight access and a healthy working environment. At the same time, they strengthen the relationship between the building and the surrounding natural area. The nature-inclusive design contributes to biodiversity and climate adaptation.

Studio LA created a site-specific artwork for this government office. The work consists of a wall installation and a book on a pedestal, bringing together stories from employees of the Ministry of Justice. It visualizes a network of colleagues, departments, events, and trust. The artwork invites people to read each other’s stories, gain a deeper understanding of one another, and offers new employees or visitors a unique way to become acquainted with the organization.

The office and training section is entirely biobased: walls, floors, and columns are constructed from CLT, timber frame (HSB), and laminated timber. The vehicle storage and warehouse areas are built with a demountable steel structure and concrete floors, designed for heavy vehicles and large spans. The building is fully demountable and flexible, allowing new clusters to be added and office functions to further develop within the structure of the storage area.

The facade was parametrically designed and optimized in collaboration with ArchiTech Company. The louvers filter light, ensure privacy, and at the same time preserve views. They limit direct visibility while contributing to thermal comfort and energy performance.
The base of the building is made of flat-galvanized steel that reflects the colors of water and reeds. Over time, this material develops a patina, allowing the facade to become increasingly anchored within the landscape.

Ministry of EZ, KGG & LVVN

Rijksvastgoedbedrijf

Studio PROTOTYPE and ZENBER Architects have recently completed the transformation of Rijkskantoor B73 in The Hague, home to three ministries: the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Nature; the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth; and the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The project aimed to modernize and renovate key areas within the complex, creating a flexible, sustainable, and future-proof government workspace.

The challenge was to optimize these spaces for multifunctional use, with a strong focus on fostering interaction, collaboration, and connection. At the heart of the transformation lies the striking Orangerie—a lush green space where two existing pavilions and their surroundings have been reimagined as vibrant meeting hubs set within nature.

Sustainability and well-being are central to the design, which integrates biophilic principles and aligns with the WELL Building Standard. With its vertical gardens and plant walls, the Orangerie serves as the “green lung” of the complex, improving air quality, enhancing the working environment, reducing CO₂ emissions, and lowering cooling demands. The two brainstorm pods, built entirely from biobased and renewable materials, act as test spaces for innovative and sustainable products and technologies.

Pocket Park Céramique

Rijksvastgoedbedrijf

Pocket Park Céramique is a design vision for the transformation of the former Rijkskantoor Avenue Céramique in Maastricht into a circular, healthy, and future-ready government office. Developed by Studio PROTOTYPE in collaboration with Hollandse Nieuwe, the project is based on integrating green spaces into the existing building structure to improve spatial quality, user well-being, and environmental performance.

The project combines a network of green pocket parks with a radically circular transformation of the existing building. Green spaces connect the surrounding urban context with the interior atrium and rooftop gardens, creating places for meeting, relaxation, and informal work while enhancing biodiversity and the indoor climate. At the same time, the design prioritizes maximum reuse of existing materials and structures, complemented by new interventions executed in biobased materials. The building’s structural logic enables flexible and sustainable reconfiguration of the work floors, transforming approximately 16,000 m² of office space into an adaptive, inspiring, and healthy working environment, scheduled for completion in 2028.

Greenery forms the core of the architectural concept. Pocket parks are integrated throughout the building, across multiple levels, within the atrium, along circulation routes, and on the rooftops, creating a continuous green landscape. These planted spaces support biodiversity, improve the indoor climate, and provide areas for rest, informal meetings, and everyday interaction, transforming the carré-shaped building designed by Hubert-Jan Henket in 1998 into a lively and socially engaging workplace.

Oasen

Oasen Gouda

Located at Nieuwe Gouwe Oostzijde in the Nieuwe Park West business area, the site of Oasen can be seen as an oasis within an oasis. This plot is characterized by a lavish amount of surrounding greenery and water. In the design vision, the unique identity of Oasen as a water-supplying company is central; the water itself is subtly integrated not only through the tactility of materials but also by placing actual water features prominently within the meeting area.

The heart of the meeting area is the new atrium. This former outdoor space forms the natural axis between the entrance zone and the garden to the west. Covered by an innovative technical atrium roof, it subtly allows daylight, air, and spaciousness to enrich this green gathering place for employees. The materialization, green fill, and overall experience of the atrium make it a place where one feels the outdoor green environment yet remains an integral part of the entire meeting and restorative area.

The layout of the work area facilitates new connections and enables the ‘flow’ of people, thereby fostering encounters and collaboration. The design concept relies on an intuitive arrangement of floor plans ranging from quiet to bustling areas, offering a diversity of suitable workspaces and atmospheres. 

On the fourth floor, a reduced-size meeting/workshop pavilion has been reintroduced, providing Oasen a low-cost opportunity to also take advantage of this unique location with views over the city and the green retention roof for more private discussions outside the meeting area. The materialization concept uses timeless sustainable materials that uniquely complement the theme of the water landscape and add identity to the place.

House of Dentons

Dentons

Dentons is the biggest law firm of the world, with a polycentric knowledge network and branches in 73 countries. Studio PROTOTYPE has been asked to design the interior concept of ‘House of Dentons’ for their Dutch branch, with approximately 6000 m2 located in the Viñoly building on Amsterdam’s Zuidas. Studio PROTOTYPE collaborated with DZAP a design & build construction in order to get from first sketch to final realization within a year. Thanks to smart phasing by housing advisor Cushman & Wakefield, Dentons was able to keep working in the Viñoly buiding during the rebuilding.

The principle of House of Dentons is a warm & timeless interior that translates the polycentric character of Dentons into a versatile interior. The concept exists out of a variety of places with their complete own character that stimulates meeting & movement on the basis of intuition & openness. The central place within the concept is an atrium, that feels like the heart where the dynamics of the interior becomes visible. Places such as the entrance landscape, the meeting lane, art gallery and the green tribune garden are laced together in a beautiful way and create diversity in ‘ways of working’, but give a sequence of different (interior) experiences too.

The sequential experience is being strengthened by the effect of wings, by adding large wooden discs on strategical positions on the plan. They create beautiful bounded spaces with several vistas to other spaces. With ‘House of Dentons’ a work environment has been created to offer security and comfort while at the same to function as a stage for talent to excel on.

The Grove

schiphol real estate

Commissioned by Schiphol Real Estate, The Grove is a distinctive multi-tenant office building designed by studio PROTOTYPE in collaboration with VDNDP. Located in the Schiphol Central Business District (CBD) and adjacent to The Base office complex, The Grove also enjoys a prime position along the A4 highway.

The project begins with the goal of creating a healthy and sustainable work environment, where the design focuses on the people. The project is designed in a dynamic fashion with a natural flow to invite people to the heart of the building.With the orientation of the atrium towards the sun, it allows the sunlight to reach deep inside the building. It includes a tribune and a green, enclosed space with seating and lounge areas, designed by MOSS Amsterdam. The atrium’s design mimics the feel of an intimate orchard courtyard, offering a spacious, open area with structured viewpoints. These points act as the eyes of the building and function as reception areas for the various tenants of The Grove.

The building’s exterior features a unique, transparent design that wraps around the curves of the building volume. This creates lively reflections and changing light effects, offering a dynamic view of Schiphol. The Grove is a sustainable building (BREEAM Excellent), equipped with SMART building technology systems and a structure made from cross-laminated timber. It will be a multi-tenant office space, offering around 10,400 m² of flexible floor area that can accommodate businesses of different sizes. The adjacent green public space is designed by Flux Landscape Architecture.

Meet & Greet

Blenheim Advocaten

Studio PROTOTYPE has been approached by Blenheim Advocaten to design a Meet & Greet area on the ground floor of the Westerdokdijk 40 building, a former home of Rededrij Gebr. Goedkoop and designed by an architect F.J.E. Dekeukeleire.

Studio PROTOTYPE has based the plan with a great respect towards the building’s original ideas. New and careful interventions reinfore the existing core values of the building. The raw character of the concrete supporting structure is left exposed and combined with new timeless materials, such as terrazzo and Cararra marble.