Amare Cultural Center opens in The Hague

Dutch pragmatism: without much ado, Rem Koolhaas’ famous Dutch Dance Theater from 1987 was demolished and a larger, more versatile and much more complex cultural center was built in its place. OMA itself took part in the competition for the replacement project. The new building, named Amare, was opened at the beginning of September.

The Amare in The Hague is a highly compressed cultural performer. It is home to three renowned institutions: the Royal Conservatory, the Dutch Dance Theater and the resident orchestra. Within the limited space available, the architects have therefore accommodated three large performance and concert halls with their own unique character. There are also hundreds of offices and studios, dance and music studios. The Amare Foundation – the umbrella organization of the building – will make a significant contribution to building new bridges between the institutions with its programme. The idea is to expand the concept of culture through additional, sometimes temporary uses and experimental formats.

Patrick Fransen, the founder of NOAHH, one of the architectural firms involved, describes the project in The Hague as follows: “There, the uniform façade conceals a multitude of houses. The partially load-bearing exoskeleton of the façade allows for free design. This creates a spatial variation of openness and density inside, which gives the building a strong liveliness and its own character. The first floor and second floor can be read as a continuation of the urban space.” The uniform garment therefore opens up like a curtain to the city at this point.

The concert hall, the dance theater hall and the ensemble hall play the main roles in the Amare. The design of the rooms is very different. What is special about the building, however, are the opportunities that arise. New formats, events and collaborations find space here. And between the institutions, between users and visitors.

Architects: NOAHH/Network Oriented Architecture with JCAU/Jo Coenen Architects and Urbanists and NL Architects

You can find out more about this project and other exciting cultural buildings in Baumeister 10/21.

Another extraordinary architectural cultural center for art, culture and cinema is located in Marcq-en-Baroeul. Find out more about it.