Townhall Borsele Heinkenszand

More then 30 years after the opening, the building was in need of rehabilitation. Furthermore, the building had to undergo an asbestos abatement to adapt to modern building standards. Due to the tight cost frame, the existing geometry of the building had to be preserved to a great extend. Therefore, structural or spatial interventions were hardly possible. The task was rather to aesthetically and technically improve the existing surfaces. The central idea was to fully wrap the building with a new façade, to emphasize the public and representative character of the building. Furthermore, the new façade was not merely seen as an instrument to improve the exterior impression, but also to positively affect the quality of the interior spaces and the workflow of the government employees.

The fragmented building shape was tamed and visually integrated by wrapping the façade as well as the roof with one façade material. The new façade 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 last step of the external renewal was to refine the proportions of the building and several windows were adjusted. The frames are filigree 'pivoting frames' with solar glass filling. High performing textile screens were installed on the inside to provide additional sun protection.

The entrance hall was 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. Generous office landscapes were situated at the three heads of the building. Here, the fully glazed façades offer a panoramic view towards the landscapes of Zeeland. Plot size 1.6ha, Building size: 4.387 m²