KJ, THE HAGUE

TURNING A TRANSIT SPACE INTO A PLACE TO STAY

From now on, anyone who gets off the train or Randstadrail at The Hague Central Station will walk into the city under an undulating wooden ceiling. If you turn around afterwards, you will see that this is the completely public plinth of KJ, a residential building with more than 390 homes in the heart of the city. For decades, Koningin Julianaplein was one of the most difficult places in The Hague: stuck between tracks, traffic and the massive plinth of Stichthage, a residual space without a soul in the place where the city should introduce itself to its visitors. The competition won in 2016 was therefore not only about a building, but about the question of how to turn a windy, chilly square into a pleasant place to arrive and stay.

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