A 'European' embassy

A 'European' embassy

04.02.2010

Dutch embassies in foreign countries nowadays are being designed by well known architects such as Rem Koolhaas (Berlin) and Bjarne Mastenbroek (Addis Abeba). For the interior of the buildings, products of Dutch designers are being used. In this way the embassies show the contemporary quality and progressiveness of the Dutch creative culture.
Is it possible that the back door of the Dutch embassies can also become the front entrance for the culture of the country that it is located in, to promote in this way the cultural exchange. What will happen if we let go of the idea of one embassy per country and start fantasizing about European houses for cultural and economic cooperation?

Initiated by Design Den Haag, architecture students of the Royal Academy of Art in Den Haag will work during one semester on this project. Questions they will look into are: What is the function of a contemporary embassy other than an office building? What is the European identity? And how does this express itself in a building? How does the European identity relate to the national identities in Europe? Based on these and other questions, an essay will be written by Rainer Bullhorst (Bullhorst architecten Stedenbouwers) and Eric Vreedenburgh (Archipelontwerpers), both mentors of the students.