Atelier Kempe Thill

Atelier Kempe Thill won the invited competition for the extension and remodeling of the Borsele city hall in Heinkenszand, Netherlands. The design involved modernization of the façades, renewal of the interior spaces, and improvement of the building climate to meet low-energy standards.

The existing building was fully “wrapped” in a new façade, so as to generate a representative expression and to enhance the interaction of the building with public space. The new façade consists of glass mosaic tiles, which were mounted in front of the existing brick walls and roofs. The dark color of the tiles visually integrates the fragmented building shape. The surfaces create subtle light reflections. New structural glazed façades were placed at the three “heads” and at the entrance of the star-shaped building. Moreover, all existing windows were enlarged and replaced by elegant, thin pivoting frames. New, flexible landscape offices were situated at the heads of the building and provide a panoramic view across the landscape of Zeeland. The two-story-high entrance hall was redesigned and likewise clad in glass mosaic tiles, so as to strengthen the relation between inside and outside.