I hadn't intended to visit this building but it happened to be on the way from the airport. It is the headquarters for the ING bank designed by Dutch architects Meyer and Van Schooten, who are based in Amsterdam. I have seen it in several books but I personally think it is an unattractive building. I don't want to say it's ugly because it has some nice detailing. The skin is generally metal panel and glass. The majority of the facade is a double wall system with the exterior glass being supported by glass fins and spiders. It must have been an expensive wall. In addition to it's energy efficiency the double wall is apparently a good insulator of the traffic noise generated by the A10 highway 100 feet away. The lobby is underneath the mass of the building and is skinned with a dark green glass. This may be for energy reasons also but it really made it appear more solid than you would hope with a glass wall.
Due to its shape the building has come to be known as the ice skate or the shoe.
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