Reinheim town hall

2015-2020

The necessary construction and refurbishment measures led to the question of how to deal with the architectural heritage of the 1960s with the expansion of the 1990s and how the transformation of a public administration towards a service-orientated encounter with citizens can find structural expression.

The architectural expression of the original building remains the guiding principle for the energetically necessary reformulation of the façade in terms of its tectonic arrangement and materialisation, in the interests of protecting the listed building’s surroundings and continuing its architectural culture. Thinner proportioned cornices, lower parapet heights and a lighter-coloured brick result in an overall visual and contemporary streamlining of the building’s character.

The structural extension is a lightweight construction on the top floor to the south and west. The typology of the terraced structure and the materialisation of the existing building will be retained overall, so that the addition does not appear additive. The resulting terrace will be accessible to all employees of the building, but will also continue to be used for representative events in the mayor’s offices. The formulation of the necessary external escape staircase as a connection between a use-strengthened inner courtyard, the 1st floor and the roof terrace, in conjunction with the relocation of the cafeteria from the basement to the ground floor and glass corridor walls on the floors, formulates the communicative reorientation of the employees’ working environment.

The more recent alterations (e.g. the roof over the meeting room) have been preserved and thus form part of the recognisable history of the building.