Nederlandse Ambassade Rome

dutch embassy rome

The Dutch embassy in Rome was in need of a radical renovation. Since Italy is the land of design and culture, cepezed interpreted the project as an excellent opportunity to show what the Netherlands is capable of in the area of architectural design.

client(s)
ministry of foreign affairs

location
Rome

user(s)
dutch embassy

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expertise
architects

Change of tack

The combination of a richly decorated, Renaissance-like townhouse built in 1929 and a later extension had undergone various renovations over the years. But by this time, they were pretty much run-down. Inside, there were no special details and the logistics were also untidy with poor orientation. So it was time for a thorough approach.

Rust does justice

Because the Renaissance-like building contained many original details, its appearance was to be restored to its former glory. With a modern Corten-steel shell round the extension, cepezed has introduced the greatest possible contrast between the older and newer building segments.

The abstract background of the steel now does full justice to the main building. What’s more, the rusty metal fits in beautifully with the stone pines in the surroundings.

Beauty on the inside

Due to the untidy layout, the insides of the two properties were stripped back to the concrete skeleton. The new interior focuses on light, transparency, spatial clarity and good communication between the two. As a result, you hardly see any difference inside between the townhouse and the extension.

delight to look at

On every floor, the offices, workplaces and meeting rooms are grouped round a central circulation and ‘linger’ zone, where staff and visitors meet each other.

After completion, the embassy’s head of cultural affairs was abundantly enthusiastic: ‘The building is a jewel and all my colleagues unanimously share this opinion. It is a delight to look at and a fabulous place to work.’