Grote Marktstraat

Public Space
We created a design for the local authority of The Hague, to transform Grote Marktstraat into a “shopping boulevard with international appeal”. Grote Marktstraat in The Hague, an innovative urban development by Berlage, was originally designed to offer space to new department stores and increasing levels of traffic.  The street was one of the busiest traffic arteries in the city.  Following the construction of the underground tunnel by OMA, the ground level was given a temporary layout.  Our design for the public space of Grote Marktstraat forms the definitive layout.
Tram rails, overhead cables, kerbs, pedestrian islands, the elongated buildings – everything emphasised the lengthwise direction of the street.
Pedestrians, the shopping public, move far more across the street, zig-zagging from one department store to another, from Wagenstraat to Venestraat, from Bezemplein to Spuistraat.
The underground tunnel designed by OMA was the solution for the tram and vehicle traffic. However, cyclists were not provided for in the underground tunnel – a missed opportunity.  It is unthinkable that cyclists can be kept away from Grote Marktstraat, they will not make detours around it.   The design for Grote Marktstraat had to take this into account. Grote Marktstraat needed its own identity, which would be clearly emphasised and easily embraced by The Hague.  The history of The Hague and its unique appeal was our source of inspiration for the design. Our proposal strips the whole ground level of all obstacles.  Only the access points to the OMA underground tunnel remain.  The buildings must be the focus of attention.  Most buildings are of high quality.  Some areas are due to be redeveloped; the quality of individual buildings can easily be improved.
A richly detailed, innovative walkway of terrazzo concrete brings a sense of luxury, sets the tone and provides cohesion.  A cycle path is integrated into the walkway, with clear raised kerbs.  This ensures that cyclists know where they are allowed to cycle and pedestrians feel safe.  At the most important crossing points, pedestrians clearly take precedence.  As the whole area is obstacle-free, emergency services have ample access and the cycle path does not need to be 6.5 metres wide.  The reintroduction of “pavements” stimulates pedestrians to move along the street, strolling by the shop windows and perhaps a terrace.  This in turn stimulates shop owners to dress their shop windows with care, and to free up sections of their ground floor space for smaller outlets which open directly onto the public space.  Improvement of the public space stimulates better use of the neighbouring buildings. Three enormous transparent chandeliers divide the long street, and improve the quality of the space.  The street is widest by the Spuimarkthof.  Here, the chandelier forms an artificial roof of leaves, which adds exquisite shadow patterns to the attractive walkway. A social area/meeting place is created here, with modest terraces and facilities for live music.
The junction with Wagenstraat and Venestraat is given the chic appeal of the central dome of a typical Hague arcade. The chandelier is reminiscent of the fin-de-siècle glass dome in the Lafayette department store in Paris.  On the Grote Markt square, the chandelier provides continuity across the “fold” of the underground tunnel and a clear signal to turning traffic.  Between the chandeliers, 40 lighting elements are strung between the façades of the buildings on the entire street.  They provide general lighting and, together with the trees on Lange Voorhout, emphasise the space and the direction of the street. Large-scale urban benches are introduced around the entrances to the underground tunnel.  They offer a pedestrians and the shopping public a moment of rest.  The unique, inviting “couch” shape emphasises these points in the street. The design offers what The Hague needs from this street: a fantastic space with a positive atmosphere and appeal, a “ballroom” which people can navigate easily and which is a pleasant place to be.