Page 125 - AIT1219_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design plusoffice architects, BE-Brüssel
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan Isometrie • Isometric
Schnitt • Section
Grundriss 1. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +1
Grundriss 3. Obergeschoss •Floor plan level +3 Schnitt • Section
Bauherr • Client Stadt Kontich
Standort • Location BE-Kontich
Nutzfläche • Floor space 5.250 m 2
Fotos • Photos Dennis de Smet, BE-Gent
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More information on page 158
TOWN HALL
IN KONTICH
Administration is history! Customer service is the order
of the day! The renovated and extended town hall in
Kontich, Belgium, reflects this new self-conception also
with its architecture. plusoffice architects added structu-
res to the existing 1980s building that consciously be-
speak a different design vocabulary. Highlights are the
new public atrium and the council hall at the top.
T he architects describe their design strategy as adaptive reuse.
With this concept, plusoffice succeeded not only in preparing the
town hall in Kontich, which dates back to the 1980s, for the future in
spatial and functional terms, but also in giving it a new spirit. One
thing was certain: the Kontich town hall needed more space. plusof-
fice architects therefore supplemented the U-shaped town hall,
which was covered by small triangular gables, with precisely fitting
modules to create a compact and energy-efficient volume. The for-
merly external courtyard was thereby transformed into a light-floo-
ded inner courtyard with a glass roof. It accommodates the new ser-
vice centre of the town hall, which offers the more than 21,000 inha-
bitants of Kontich a broad range of services, including a photo booth.
The Brussels-based architects kept the interesting carcass character
of the old building with fair-faced brickwork as well as exposed rib-
bed concrete ceilings and technical installations. The high-quality
materials wood and terrazzo complement and contrast the bare ma-
teriality of the existing building. Interior doors and window frames
were – as an exquisite concession! – executed in the precious wood
species Afrormosia. The offices on the upper floors were designed as
diverse, flexible workplaces to support the cooperation of the em-
ployees. Interesting visual connections are created across the inter-
nal courtyard and down into the service area. An eye-catching fea-
ture is an expanded metal façade, which clearly presents itself as a
new element with a deviating diagonal instead of a virtuous ortho-
gonal design. Above the old building, the council hall cantilevers out
over the town's central square. Due to its volume, it could not be in-
tegrated anywhere else. A stroke of luck! With floor-to-ceiling glazing
and, analogous to the internal courtyard, with a second envelope
made of white expanded metal, this large hall looks like a giant lan-
tern shining above the Gemeenteplein in the evening hours. Light on
or off? Whether and when the local council holds its meeting is cle-
arly visible on the façade.
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