Utrecht City Hall

It is difficult to explain the project to those who know the place better than I... But I should tell you something so as to explain the future of the city hall... As you all know, this building has reached a certain level of disrepair... Today, routine forms a part of the building... The building seems to have forgotten its treasures and its origins... There are two ideas behind the new project... 1. Rediscover the value of the interior spaces of the neo-classical building, of the medieval room. 2. Return to the idea of a municipal building as a conglomerate of the diverse houses of the city. Maintain the monumental quality of the façade and create a more open construction so as to facilitate a better relationship between the municipal building and the new square behind it. 1. Rediscover the value of the interior spaces a. The monumental part of the building will be evident on the ground floor... The old outside walls form part of a new way to soften the building... The relevant walls and interiors are maintained... b. The debating chamber will be the new important space... It is similar in dimension to the medieval room... Light will come from the roof and a new atmosphere will be created in the interior... A new staircase from the new entrance will give direct access there. c. The second floor will be dedicated entirely to political representation... d. With this, the new building will have all the political activity concentrated in the neo-classical building... I believe that this new order is very important for the new building... 2. The city hall as a conglomerate of constructions The main entrance will be here in a new location, in front of a square and a wing of new buildings. This new entrance takes us once again to the monumental room. The corridor which surrounds these different buildings is free but it highlights the city hall as a conglomerate. In conclusion, the neo-classical building is converted into a type of monument which forms part of the streets and squares... when the door opens it converts itself into part of the public space of the city. A new wing The majority of the offices intended for the civil servants are located in the new wing... The correct dimensions of the space are a large perimeter which provides daylight in all of the work spaces... The building grows parallel to Ganzenmarkt street and its scale is that of the houses which are located on both sides of the street... The conservation of the building with its 1930s façade is a means of defining this street and entering in the new square... The restaurant-cafe creates an amicable connection between the city hall and the city... In the construction of the new wing the materials from the demolition are recycled (brick, window ledges, lintel stones, and so on) to achieve a new building with quality materials... Between the new wing and the neo-classical part there appears a new square for public use..