Expansion and sanitization heritage-protected city hall with municipla library in Brühl, Germany
1st prize Competition 2017
Landscape planning: RMPSL Landschaftsarchitekten, Bonn
Library planner: UKW innenarchitekten
Client: City of Brühl, Germany
Completion city hall with library 2023, Janshof 2025
Photos: JSWD/Franco Casaccia, Christa Lachenmaier, Jens Kirchner, Taufik Kenan; aerial photos: City of Brühl, Schmitz.Reichard
The objective of the competition was to plan an extension for the existing town hall and create a concept for the adjacent Janshof square. The project involved replacing an extension that was built in the 1960s. One particular challenge was connecting the new building to the historic town hall and renovating it in line with heritage requirements. The result is an accessible, future-oriented town hall that meets the latest energy standards. It was designed to enable flexible use and tap into synergies by connecting various building functions. The offices of the municipal authorities are located above the civil registry offices (Bürgeramt and Standesamt). The municipal library is spread across all floors of the new building. The children’s library in the basement opens up to a reading courtyard. The new foyer opens up to both the pedestrian zone and the now largely car-free Janshof. From here, visitors’ paths converge with those of pedestrians entering the historic building via Markt. Clear signage makes the town hall easy to navigate.
The new building plays with the idea of different urban spaces and proportions in Brühl’s historic city center. The front building references the form of the historic town hall, creating a cubature that is at once unique and also typical of the region. The three interlocking structures are oriented so that their gables face the adjacent street. The brickwork on the gable is partially perforated so that it filters the light coming into the underlying windows. The same light-colored bricks are used for the facade and the roof, thus reinforcing the cubic effect of the new building.
The project aims for the greatest possible sustainability. For example, we preserved as much of the historic building’s fabric as possible. Energy and heat are supplied by a combined heat and power plant. In addition to triple-glazed windows, a great deal of natural light, and external solar protection, concrete component activation guarantees lower energy consumption.