government office de knoop

clients(s)

central government real estate agency

location

Utrecht

users(s)

government

The Knoop barracks in the centre of Utrecht were delivered in 1989 as the headquarters of the Royal Netherlands Army. cepezed produced the architectural design for a thorough transformation into State Office De Knoop, an office and meeting centre for the national government.

Oude situatie rijkskantoor de knoop cepezed

The transformation

The original construction of State Office de Knoop in Utrecht was characterized by a diverse range of volumes with varying heights and floor dimensions. The building had meandering façades, which were finished with smoked-glass solar shading.

cepezed’s redevelopment design consisted of partial demolition, new-build expansion and a completely new urban embedding over several height levels.

Sustainable government office in Utrecht

We paid a great deal of attention to sustainability. For example, we made optimal reuse of the existing building and utilized triple glazing, certified materials and a partly green roof.

Further examples: the light is controlled by movement sensors and CO2 measurement takes place continuously for climate control. State Office de Knoop can rightly be called a ‘green redevelopment’.

Maximum spatial quality

To create more light, air, openness and transparency, we removed countless inner walls.

Hybrid ceiling islands were also developed especially for this project in Utrecht. The use of these ceiling islands eliminates the need for suspended ceilings in the existing building. Despite the limited storey height, this complex still provides the government with maximum spaciousness.

Meetings at a height

The meeting centre in State Office De Knoop is located in an extension with eight high storeys. The new and existing buildings come together in a transparent atrium with a transport zone that also contains the lifts and staircases.

The complex has a clean-lined skin with vertical articulation, which brings the different components together to form a single entity. As a result, recesses in the original building contour have become voids. and these contribute to the internal spatial quality of the State Office.