Town Hall
Town Hall
Town Hall
Before its time: sustainable and progressive
When designing the Voorburg Town Hall, our first starting point was - of course - to maintain the original building from 1883. Behind and next to the old Town Hall, a completely new municipal office was built, housing the main departments of welfare, personnel and organization and the civil affairs department. In addition to this existing building, at Herenstraat 42, a vacant monument at number 74, Huize Swaensteijn, was used for Mayor and Aldermen; a new council chamber was also added behind it.
Meticulously designed architecture
To ensure that the new municipal office was in line with the existing nineteenth-century Town Hall, we deliberately opted for a neutral but contemporary architecture. The façade on the Raadhuisstraat has been rolled out for a while around the passage. Locally, columns were deliberately applied to some corners. The façade was given some relief, so that the façade did not become too monotonous and there were similarities with the new façade on Herenstraat. This is how carefully designed new buildings were created.
Public functions in the new municipal office
The municipal office primarily houses the municipality's public functions; the heart of the design is therefore also formed by the central counter hall, where the services take place. The hall is directly accessible from the new open court with a monumental, 150-year-old chestnut tree on Raadhuisstraat, but also from the original entrance on Herenstraat. The meeting rooms are mainly located in the Old Town Hall; Huize Swaensteijn houses B and W's work and meeting rooms, and this building is also a popular wedding location.
Sustainability in new and old buildings
Before its time, the design includes a number of progressive measures in the field of sustainable construction. The concrete shell with the appropriate acoustic facilities takes on the temperature of the interior; if the heating is on the back burner outside office hours, the concrete skeleton slowly returns part of the stored heat to the room. This setup makes the building energy efficient. You can also save on lighting by hanging fluorescent lights above desks and meeting rooms. Mechanical ventilation has been used occasionally.
