Construction on the European Patent Office building in Rijswijk, the Netherlands, started last week with a foundation-stone laying ceremony.
The building was co-designed by architects Jean Nouvel, based in Paris, and Diederik Dam, based in Amsterdam.
With around 80,000 sm and a budget of €205 million self-financed by the EPO, it will be one of the biggest office construction sites ever in the Netherlands until its completion in 2017.
The design is a tall steel building with a double glass facade, about 100 meters high and 150 meters long. The glass facade will be reflected in a landscaped pond. It will be a bold example of contemporary architecture, symbolising the EPO’s mission to foster innovation in Europe, according to the agency.
For more information, visit the EPO’s official website.
All renderings below courtesy Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Dam & Partners, and EPO.
Related Stories
| Apr 12, 2011
American Institute of Architects announces Guide for Sustainable Projects
AIA Guide for Sustainable Projects to provide design and construction industries with roadmap for working on sustainable projects.
| Apr 11, 2011
Wind turbines to generate power for new UNT football stadium
The University of North Texas has received a $2 million grant from the State Energy Conservation Office to install three wind turbines that will feed the electrical grid and provide power to UNT’s new football stadium.
| Apr 8, 2011
SHW Group appoints Marjorie K. Simmons as CEO
Chairman of the Board Marjorie K. Simmons assumes CEO position, making SHW Group the only firm in the AIA Large Firm Roundtable to appoint a woman to this leadership position
| Apr 5, 2011
Zaha Hadid’s civic center design divides California city
Architect Zaha Hadid is in high demand these days, designing projects in Hong Kong, Milan, and Seoul, not to mention the London Aquatics Center, the swimming arena for the 2012 Olympics. But one of the firm’s smaller clients, the city of Elk Grove, Calif., recently conjured far different kinds of aquatic life when members of the City Council and the public chose words like “squid,” “octopus,” and “starfish” to describe the latest renderings for a proposed civic center.
| Apr 5, 2011
Are architects falling behind on BIM?
A study by the National Building Specification arm of RIBA Enterprises showed that 43% of architects and others in the industry had still not heard of BIM, let alone started using it. It also found that of the 13% of respondents who were using BIM only a third thought they would be using it for most of their projects in a year’s time.
