The building, established as the headquarter of the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (KPM), was the first project of AIA Bureau, the biggest architecture consultant in the Dutch East Indies.

In the same year, the shipping company also commissioned Ghijsels to design the new headquarter for the KPM on a plot of land at Koningplein Oost 5.

This project led to the formation of the private architectural consultant AIA (Algemeen Ingenieurs- en Architectenbureau).

At its completion, the project for the headquarter of the KPM shipping company was considered a huge success and won critical acclaim.

The building is very monumental, displaying a rigid facade design with an attic third floor at the front.