An office building converted in a boutique hotel, in the heart of The Hague

The building that used to house the headquarters of the Staatsloterij (Dutch National Lottery) is located in the centre of The Hague, opposite Paleis Noordeinde (one of three official palaces of the Dutch royal family). We hollowed out a central void in the building and merged it with an iconic staircase, in the vein of those imagined by Dutch artist M.C. Escher. A glass roof above this void now floods the area with natural light.

By relocating the fire escape from the building’s facade to this central void, we brought the latter to life and transformed it into a main communication area. A welcome side-effect of doing so was that the possible number of rooms increased to 73, which significantly added to the financial viability of the plan. The spatial continuation of the entrance-lobby-void is accentuated by the choice of materials. As you proceed from the entrance, the ceiling, which is clad in white oak, rises up vertically into the void, with the white oak cladding continuing on one side.

The white steel construction of the stairs is complemented with white oak steps. The floor is finished with Eibelstädter limestone. This blue grey stone, with its light brownish mottling, harmonises beautifully with the white oak and corresponds subtlety with the solid oak elements.