The Amsterdam based architect's office de Architekten Cie. has won the international competition for the enlargement of the Victoria Palace in Bucharest, Romania, the headquarters of the Romanian Government. The jury, consisting of nine experts, judged the design of Branimir Mediæ en Pero Puljiz to be the best of the six international entrants. After the completion of the extension the Palace ensemble will have almost been doubled in size from the existing 23.000 m² to the now programmed 46.000 m².
The extension of Victoria Palace integrates the existing and the new building into a harmonious and rep-resentative ensemble for the headquarters of the Romanian government. The E-shaped layout of the new extension finishes the footprint of the existing building, organizing the new ensemble around two central courtyards.
The extension is organized around a diagonal promenade connecting all floors and different thematic interior and exterior gardens. Each garden represents a different region of Romania. The governmental hall is temporarily positioned in the center of the extension and is attached to the Stairs of Honour in the existing building.
The elevation is materialized in the same stone as the existing building, but with a random mix of polished and raw pieces. The abstract window pattern and appearance of the winter gardens further render the elegance of the façade. The harmony of the new ensemble mirrors the values of Romanian democracy for now and for the future.
Source: de Architekten Cie.
