Architect:
Benthem Crouwel Architects - Amsterdam.
The design for the extension took as its stepping-off point the existing Provincial Hall and the neighbouring registry building. The use of local red brick refers to both and is there for continuity's sake. The main entrance sits in the head of an elongated building part forming the central axis of the complex. All parts exfoliate from this axis. The various functions can be read in the built form and the materiality. The centre lines of the three radiating office slabs intersect at the Martini Tower. As in the facades of the conference halls, the aluminium- framed window bands and the vertical joins stress the horizontality of the office frontage. Vertical strips of clear glass articulate the brick walls of stairs and lifts. The restaurant with its view of the old moat and garden courtyards has a floor that descends stepwise. The footpath is a ramp bridging the difference in height with the water.
[zie ook de eigen
website van de Provincie Groningen]
