The former Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment building complex in The Hague, SoZa, was designed by Herman Hertzberger in 1979, and was in use as a government building from 1990 to 2016. SoZa is internationally recognised as an icon of Structuralist architecture, with its visionary design already accounting for future uses. In a time when very few spoke of sustainability and circularity, this is a pioneering example of sustainability ahead of its time!

The monument status was denied to the building by the Municipality of The Hague. Although structurally sound and adaptable by design, SoZa’s fate is that its owner, VORM, plans to demolish it, and the Municipality is facilitating this by granting an environmental permit for the new building plan.

Please join the community to make a final attempt to prevent demolition works from starting this summer! Uta Pottgiesser and Wido Quist are amongst the first 50 signatories of the petition.

Read the full petition via this link or directly support the petition via CHANGE.ORG