NEXT architects and rudy uytenhaak complete bloemendaal town hall

in 1820, a landscape architect named J.D. zocher built a white plastered villa on a plot of sand dunes and mire in bloemendaal, the netherlands. there the estate remained, until the city municipality bought it in 1950 with intentions to extend the property. sixteen years after the purchase, with no intentions met, the home was torn down and a contemporary building constructed — with a faithful copy of the original villa façade. the hall served faithfully until 2011, when NEXT architects and rudy uytenhaak architecture bureau were asked to revitalize the by-now nearly fifty year old structure, and incorporate sustainable technologies and modern working practices.

exterior with patio and seating

the process began with the intent to create a small extension to the building. however, history is bound to repeat itself, and it was later decided to scrap the former — save, once again, the iconic front façade. a modern, compact structure was then built, slightly separated physically from the retained entrance element. this modernized design allows for the history of the estate to be clearly seen. the original and recent are united in a layered fashion, representing a flux between old and new, past and present.

central atrium

the center of the construction is formed by the citizens’ hall, a light, spacious area that is to be the home of the community. here, major events such as concerts and investitures will be debated and organized. the council chamber, situated on the ground floor, opens towards the great expanse; together they form the democratic heart of the building.

stairwell and interior wall

atriums and a patio bring daylight deep into the compact structure. two, ten meter high sections are located on either side of the hall, with a center section of twelve meters height. in addition, the gap caused by staggered façade draws large amounts of light via floor-to-ceiling glass. aesthetic innovations work in tandem with modern efforts into work flow and space.

council chamber

the interior design, also competed by NEXT and uytenaak, reduces space per employee down to 70%. doing so doesn’t mean people have drastically less room than before, rather the building is now organized for specific activity related work. by creating various workplaces, each with their own character, it is possible that workers find places cohesive to concentration, interaction, or others. light, natural materials like bamboo and a subtle color palette further aids the interior. architects also developed a series of designed carpets which reflect the municipality’s art collection.

large windows bring natural light into the space

‘bloemendaal town hall’ opened last month, and is the final realization of a unification process that began in early 2009. the central location now encompasses the civic centers of bloemendaal, overveen, aerdenhout, vogelenzang, and bennebroek.

work areas

small, concentration friendly work places

gap between original and new building

hallway, second floor

open space

modern façade

project info:

name: bloemendaal city hall
design architecture and interior: NEXT architects, rudy uytenhaak architecture bureau
landscape design: peter de ruyter landscape architects
construction advisers: pieters civil engineers, haarlem
installation and sustainability advisers: deerns engineering consultants
main contractor: J.P. van eesteren

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: nick brink | designboom