Rodenkirchen Town Hall

2018

The tight specifications of the brief suggest designing a building with four different sides and staggered cubature. However, this contradicts the type of town hall, which is a traditional urban building and requires distinctiveness and independence due to its social significance.

A cubature was therefore proposed that would make it easy for citizens to recognise it as a town hall. The type of three-storey plinth with a mighty, soaring roof can often be found in architectural history as a town hall.

The type found is further developed in a contemporary way by translating the traditional ground-floor arcades facing the square into large-format incisions. The large central ground-floor incision in the square façade is aligned centrally with the ‘square carpet’ designed in dialogue with the building and only leads the visitor to the entrance/vestibule of the building with dry feet when approaching under the façade overhang. In Rodenkirchen, the windows of a council chamber on the first floor, the classic ‘bel étage’ of a building, which used to be reserved for councillors, are now reserved for the visitors’ gallery. This symbolises the participation and control of politics by the citizens.

The translation of the type is also continued in the interior. The large staircase hall traditionally used for representation in historic town halls is translated in the present design into a hall running across all floors, which makes it possible to gain an insight into all floors and activities of the building as soon as you enter.