Over the coming years, the historical Binnenhof parliament complex in The Hague will undergo a thorough renovation. Therefore, the heart of Dutch democracy has relocated to other interim accommodations. Zecc designed the temporary venue for the House of Representatives. 

To meet the extensive security requirements of all parties involved, Zecc came up with a resilient design that focused on functionality. The ultimate challenge was to reconcile two conflicting values — accessibility and security — in one building. To achieve this, a public entrance was added to the existing building. The curved white canopy components stand out because of their woven, net-like texture, and are finished in 3D-printed plastic (a collaboration with Aectual) that is 100% circular. Zecc wanted to highlight sustainability, a key theme inside the building, right at the entrance to the parliament complex. 

Inside the central hall, with its high grid ceiling, distinctive slender columns and brass-coloured escalator forms an impressive orientation and meeting point within the building. Tall windows allow fine daylight to seep inside, and visitors can also experience the pond and vegetation in the garden. The gentle rippling of the water outside is poetically reflected by the white surfaces of the grid ceiling. 

To make employees and visitors feel at home in this interim accommodation, familiar elements from the Binnenhof complex are replicated or reused. For example, the characteristic escalators that extend directly from the central hall to the plenary chamber. The route from the entrance to the plenary chamber has the very same sequence as that at the Binnenhof. Moreover, the chamber is positioned on the same level. This recognizability makes people feel at home more quickly and lets them navigate more smoothly through the building. Brass-coloured elements, guide the visitor to the key spaces and adds a little sparkle to what was originally a fairly impenetrable office building. The colour makes it more accessible and contemporary. 

Zecc converted the former Van Kleffens Chamber into the plenary chamber, the space where the elected representatives convene. Here, too, the familiar shade of brass signals an important space to the visitor. The contours of the plenary chamber are defined by wallpaper and fabric in the same shade. The original hall has been dismantled and enlarged. Like a ‘plug-in’, the existing pearwood furniture from the old chamber (designed by Pi de Bruijn) has been reused and surgically inserted into the available space. 

With soft architectural forms (such as the entrance) alternating with geometric forms in the interior, Zecc’s design aligns in a contemporary manner with the original design by Apon. The final result is functional, fresh and familiar, with a strong focus on transparency and sustainability.