A New Entrance for the Groningen Provincial Government

How could the new entrance for the Groningen Provincial Government
building become more inviting? LAOS, together with De Unie Architecten, answered this question with a competition-winning design that transforms the once hidden entrance into a welcoming and recognisable part of the city. A richly detailed public square now creates a natural connection between the building and the street, while the inner garden, with its continuous flowering border, adds seasonal change, biodiversity, and a strong sense of identity. Through carefully integrated materials, planting, and narrative references to the Groningen landscape, the design strengthens the relationship between the Provincial Government and its historic urban surroundings.

A Visible and Welcoming Entrance

The entrance to the Groningen Provincial Government was previously concealed behind a large concrete Plaza, making it difficult for visitors to identify and access. To improve the visibility and accessibility of the entrance, a design competition was organised.
LAOS, together with De Unie Architecten, developed a proposal that reconnected the building to the street and strengthened its relationship with the surrounding city centre. De Unie Architecten designed a covered passage linking the bicycle parking basement to the main entrance, while LAOS designed both the inner garden and the public outdoor space between the street and the covered passage.

Square and Inner Garden

Following the competition, building users were closely involved in refining the design details. The advisory group contributed ideas for the planting scheme, helping to shape a landscape that is both attractive and ecologically valuable. In the inner garden, a continuous flowering border was introduced to ensure seasonal interest throughout almost the entire year. Where the site was once dominated by concrete, visitors now experience changing colours, textures, and vegetation each month, while the planting continuously provides food and habitat for insects.
On the street side, the entrance is carefully connected to its surroundings through the use of yellow paving bricks, the same material found throughout Groningen’s historic city centre. A contrasting strip of red bricks leads visitors towards the main entrance like a subtle red carpet, creating a route that is both intuitive and welcoming.

Narrative Elements

Many elements within the design act as subtle references to the landscape and identity of Groningen. The gentle undulations in the inner garden, for example, evoke the province’s historic relationship with the sea, a landscape shaped over centuries through the continuous interaction between land and water.
Embedded within the red-brick carpet is an abstract interpretation of Groningen landscape: a ribbon village situated along a canal between straightened agricultural plots. These carefully integrated details add a narrative layer to the public space and strengthen the connection between the Groningen Provincial Government building and its regional context.

Together, these interventions transform the entrance from an isolated transition space into an integrated and welcoming part of the city. The result is a coherent and functional space that strengthens everyday usability while reinforcing the spatial identity of the Provincial Government within the urban fabric of Groningen.

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