During the renovation of the former vault of De Nederlandsche Bank in Amsterdam, the exterior walls of the original vault were transformed with custom-made golden plaster.

These walls are often described as painted gold, but that is incorrect. The surface is a specially developed plaster technique in which liquid, marble-like material and gold pigments are integrated into the plaster itself. The result is not a coating, but a layered, tactile wall surface with depth, movement, and permanence.

The work covers approximately 8,000 square meters and was executed entirely by hand. The golden walls form the outer skin of what was once the most secure place in the city, now reopened to the public as The New Treasury.

Specialist plasterer and artist Rob van der Plas was invited by Mecanoo to contribute his craftsmanship and signature technique to this exceptional renovation project.

This project reflects how architectural surfaces can carry meaning, material innovation, and authorship—beyond decoration, beyond paint.

“We carefully examined the history of this site and showed the right sensitivity to the existing building as well as the existing urban planning context.”

— Richard Hagg, Technical Director at Mecanoo, on the transformation of De Nederlandsche Bank.

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