The Koningen Julianaplein complex will appear on the square of the same name in the city center. It has long been a faceless "transit" space between the main station, the old town, Maliveld Park and the modern business district. In 2002, a competition was held for a project for the reconstruction of this square, turning it into the entrance to the station and, at the same time, into a full-fledged public space. The OMA bureau proposed to build a complex of residential and office towers there, expanding upward, merging at the top into a single horizontally elongated volume that covers the area from three sides. During the development of the project, it turned out that it was too large from the point of view of city legislation, so the architects decided to “chop off” one of its three parts, leaving a cantilever protrusion in place of the “amputation”, completed with a panoramic window overlooking the park. This decision is inspired by antique marble statues, which acquired a special charm with the loss of limbs, in particular, Venus de Milo.
In the latest version, the project includes three towers-pillars and reaches a height of 93 m. 179 apartments are planned in two narrower buildings, and 44 thousand m2 of offices in a wider one. There is a parking space for 6,000 bicycles in the four-level underground garage. The reconstruction of the square itself includes the creation of new driveways and footpaths leading to the station, as well as shops.
