Town hall Westland

House of the community 

The public and administrative centre on the Verdilaan has the character of a ‘house of the community’. It is an open and accessible building with a pleasing appearance. It provides space for the town council, the municipal organization and also the Westland community. So receptions, meetings and events take place here as well.

The building takes the form of an elongated rectangular volume. The bay on the rear side provides space over three storeys for public interview rooms, the restaurant kitchen, offices and the historical archives with corresponding reading room. In front of this bay, there is a large, transparent and inviting atrium. On the ground floor, it houses the public reception area on one side and on the other, the agreeable reception and the restaurant.

impressive ‘administrative piece of furniture’ 

In the middle of the atrium, an amply sized 'administrative piece of furniture' has been constructed. This has rounded edges, extra-high storeys and a skin of glass and wooden slats. On the ground floor, it contains the shared functions of the administration such as the committee rooms and the meeting centre. On the first floor are the council chamber, the Municipal Executive room and the political-party offices.

The transparent atrium façade provides a direct view of the administrative functions from the street. The high degree of clarity and transparency is inviting; in addition, the light, warm appearance makes the building a pleasant place to work.

Spacious and flexible 

The town hall’s council chamber is spacious and many of the building's rooms are multifunctional. For instance, moveable walls provide maximum flexibility and adaptability. The committee rooms can be used as meeting rooms during the day. When the walls are completely folded open, a large open space is created for press conferences, parties, weddings, exhibitions and large meetings.

The materialization is typical of Westland: elements such as plant beds on the surrounding terrain, and the use of glass and wood, refer to the greenhouses of ‘the glass city’. The furniture has been implemented in the colours of the Westland municipality logo.

sustainable town hall 

Westland town hall is CO2-neutral. Energy demand is greatly reduced by a range of modern technology and material applications. The energy required is obtained largely sustainably, using PV panels which are partly thermal. Phase Change Materials (PCMs) form a buffer for heat and cold storage. Daylight is omnipresent and penetrates deep into the building.

The materials used are sustainably produced, robust and low-maintenance. The method of industrial, flexible and demountable construction (IFD) also contributes to sustainability: the realization is achieved as cleanly and efficiently as possible with a minimum of materials. Finally, we paid a great deal of attention to flexible use and optimal possibilities for recycling and reuse of components.