The Dutch Secret Service (AIVD) building in Zoetermeer is maybe one of the ugliest buildings in the world. Even so, it fascinates me. And because it is just arm’s length away from my office, during lunch I walked to it.
When I was right in front of the building, I did not dare to take too much time making photos. Therefore I used my small Sony RX100-III camera to make one bracketed shoot, without a tripod.
Because most of the building is grey, I thought a strong HDR effect would give nice results in post processing. This worked out well. I think you can agree that the building on the photo does not look that ugly anymore. With some imagination, it has the looks of an advanced alien fortress.
When I was a student, I used to work here. Back then it was the Ministry of Education, where I did a holiday job. My primary task was to bring papers from one end of the building to the other; which as you can see was a good workout. There are so many hallways in this building that you can easily lose your way. Add the dislike most people have for this building and it doesn’t become strange the secret service made this their hideout.
