Dance & Music Centre The Hague, Dutch Building, Netherlands Design Contest, News, Architects
Den Haag Architecture Contest
Dance and Music Centre Den Haag – Contemporary Building Competition in Holland
23 Apr 2010
Dance and Music Centre Den Haag
CAPITA ARCHITECTURE ENTERS PRESTIGIOUS HAGUE COMPETITION
Wales Millennium Centre architect leads bid
A team from Capita Architecture’s Cardiff studio – led by Wales Millennium Centre architect Jonathan Adams – has been invited by the city council of The Hague to enter an international architectural competition to design the ‘New Dance and Music Centre’ – a huge new centre for the performing arts.
The new building will be located in the heart of The Hague, the political and financial centre of the Netherlands, and will be the centrepiece of the city’s bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2018.
images from the organisers
Jonathan Adams says: “It is really exciting to be involved in this competition, alongside some of the world’s leading contemporary architects. This chance has come to us because of the success of the Wales Millennium Centre which is getting a big international reputation. It has been noticed by other cities who are impressed by the way that it brings together a whole community of resident arts organisations under one roof. The project in The Hague has a very similar brief.
One significant difference is that the size of the site in The Hague is only half the size of the WMC’s site in Cardiff Bay. This means that we have to put the auditoria on top of each-other. It’s like having the Hoddinott Hall on top of the WMC’s Donald Gordon Theatre. Technically, this presents some really interesting challenges – but we believe that we have the experience to deal with it.
We have designed a building which can become an emblem for The Hague. Major cultural buildings like the New Dance and Music Centre will be in use for several generations so the architecture must have a richness and complexity that provides engagement and interest on the first visit and on every later visit. Like all of my work, it is designed to be distinctive, fresh and contemporary while at the same time embodying some of the engaging qualities of traditional architecture.
We have attempted to design the building to reflect the unique aspects of its setting – the mix of monumental contemporary structures and delicate historic buildings; the metropolitan diversity of the city and its people; the confident international outlook of The Hague. Unlike many recent ‘iconic’ buildings, it is not simply an ‘object dropped from the sky’. It is a building that could only be built in The Hague, and nowhere else.”
Internationaal Dans en Muziek Centrum
Location: Kettingstraat, Den Haag, The Netherlands, western Europe
Architecture in Den Haag
Den Haag Architecture Designs – chronological list
Major Den Haag Buildings, alphabetical:
Football stadium ADO
Zwarts & Jansma Architects
photo : Rob ‘t Hart
ADO Den Haag
Koningin Julianaplein
Office for Metropolitan Architecture
image courtesy of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA)
Koningin Julianaplein
Netherlands Forensic Institute, Ypenburg
Claus en Kaan Architecten
photograph : Christian Richters
Netherlands Forensic Institute
Station for the Randstadrail network, Beatrixlaan, The Hague, Netherlands
Zwarts & Jansma Architects
Randstadrail Station Beatrixlaan : Den Haag
Villa Dali, Vroondaal
Villa Dali
Dutch architects – UN Studio, fomerly Van Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau
Dutch architects – Mecanoo
Netherlands architecture – Neutelings Riedijk Architecten Building
Comments / photos for the Den Haag Architecture page welcome
Website: The Hague