Borsele Town Hall

More then 30 years after the opening, the building that host the municipality of Borsele, in the Dutch province of Zeeland, was in need of rehabilitation.

The goal of the transformation led by Atelier Kempe Thill was to improve the overall impression of the poorly designed and run-down building.

Since the existing form of the town hall was rather unclear and defensive, first the profile of the building had to be enhanced, in order to create a relation with the public space. The project was realized in different phases and layer by layer. In a first step, the architects decided to adjust the three “heads” and the entrance hall of the star-shaped building, in order to partly clarify the existing geometry and to strengthen the building’s position within the context of the village. The facades of the heads were removed to a great extend and generous structurally glued glass facades were added. By that, the interior of the building became visible and a relation with the exterior was created. Furthermore, the entrance hall was slightly extended towards the outside, in order to enhance the visibility from the main road.

In a second step, the fragmented building shape was tamed and visually integrated by consequently wrapping the facade as well as the roof with one facade material. The new facade consists of glass mosaic tiles, which are glued on mounting plates and placed in front of a new insulation layer on the existing brick walls. The tiles were custom-made in China. Through the process of enameling rich light reflections are created. The black colour visually binds the building together and ads to the impression of compactness. At the same time, the colour refers to the tarred barns, which are typical in the Zeeland surrounding. The last step of the external renewal was to refine the proportions of the building. All exterior technical installations such as water pipes, ventilation grids and sun screens where removed. Several windows were adjusted. The window grid was enlarged to a format of 1,8m x 1,6m per window. High performing textile screens were installed on the inside to provide additional sun protection.

Regarding the interior, several steps were taken to improve the atmosphere and working conditions of the town hall. In particular, the two- floor high entrance hall turned out to be challenging. Since the existing geometry was unclear and the client wanted a more modern appearance, the architects decided to fundamentally reorganize the hall. The entrance hall was strategically downsized and organized in an octagonal shape, which was the result of the existing octagon-shape floor opening in the first floor. Within this new structure, it was also possible to create new meeting rooms and a separable reception area around the hall. The new ceiling was developed as a dome, again as a result of the existing octagon. In order to create a fluent experience between interior and exterior, the entrance hall was as well materialized from glass mosaic tiles, this time in a light – reflecting mint-green colour. The hall is illuminated by a circular skylight. The glass balustrades on the first floor are luminaires, which additionally spread light throughout the hall. Generous office landscapes were situated at the three heads of the building. Here, the fully glazed façades offer a panoramic view towards the green surrounding and the landscape of Zeeland.

Borsele Townhall, Heinkenszand, The Netherlands
Program: townhall
Architects: Atelier Kempe Thill architects and planners
Client: Gemeente Borsele
Project Management: Bremen Bouwadviseurs (Ron van den Berg, Erik Tillemans)
Area: 4,387 sqm
Completion: 2014