The ministery of Finance is one of the most prominent examples of the brutalist style in the Netherlands. The exteriour of the original building can be characterized as being heavy, impersonal and closed, as a bunker. This is in stark contrast with the interiour which was open and dominated by 2 gardens.Because of the unique position of the building as one of the most prominent examples of brutalism, it was decided that building, and its brutalist character, were to be maintained. The architect decided to open up the building. The facade is now characterised by the large amount of glass and the large glass atrium, in combination with the old brutalist exposed concrete. One of the gardens was opened up to the public, while the other one was converted to a winter garden and serves as the central hall in the building.

Outside view before renovation
All our texts and many of our images appear under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License (CC BY-SA). All our content is written and edited by our community.
gemazzz, April 8th, 2013