Location: The Hague, Netherlands.
Architect: NOAHH | Network Oriented Architecture.
Amare is a striking and idiosyncratic architectural eye-catcher designed for the municipality of The Hague by NOAHH | Network Oriented Architecture, in collaboration with JCAU and NL Architects. It is the new home for the Amare Foundation, the Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), the Residentie Orkest, and the Royal Conservatoire. It is built on the site of the old Lucent Dance Theatre and the Dr. Anton Philips Hall, and is integrated into the city’s urban plan. It is a cultural building with international allure, inviting for visitors and residents, and a creative incubator for those who use it. It has significant added value to the liveliness and versatile character of the city centre.
Amare is an urban ensemble that intensifies the experience of The Hague and improves the adhesion between the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods. It is a city with large buildings and secret alleys, with students and professionals co-existing in one building. The compact building has an understated yet confident design with an iconic, rhythmic facade. The public interior has a series of meeting spaces that recur on the various levels in a series of characteristic foyers. The City Canteen on the third floor also plays an important role in the interior.
Amare is a canteen with a Mediterranean identity that connects the foyers and different domains. It has world-class acoustics thanks to Federico Cruz Barney from Studio DAP Paris. The Dance Theatre’s anthracite-black interior references the old Lucent Dance Hall, the Concert Hall is classical, the Conservatoire Hall is made of concrete, and the Amare Studio is the most intimate room. Amare is a high-quality building with great flexibility to accommodate future developments. Each auditorium has a distinctive exterior finish and foyers with corresponding atmospheres.
Every user has their own domain and interaction between domains and floors is enhanced by voids and patios. Sustainability demands a high-quality building for today and for the future.
Photo credit: Ossip van Duivenbode.