Talk of the town: 5 town halls with something to say

Despite the fact that many of our interactions with officialdom today take place online, town halls – particularly in smaller, more localised communities – continue to represent an important physical hub for interfacing with officials, dealing with local issues, and simply playing a part in civic life. Moreover, they serve as expressions of municipal pride and identity. It’s time to get analogue!

01
Kontich City Hall
Kontich, Belgium
2019
plusoffice architects

Plusoffice has remodelled a U-shaped office building from the 1980s into a square floor plan, organised around a central atrium filled with natural light. An added floating volume for the council room, a space too large to fit within the existing structural grid, engages with the town square and village park.

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02
Kiruna Town Hall – The Crystal
Kiruna, Sweden
2018
Henning Larsen Architects

In 2012, the Kiruna Municipality along with LKAB, the government-owned mining and mineral company, announced a competition to design a new town hall. As a result of extensive mining in the area, it became necessary to relocate Kiruna’s town centre two miles east of its original location. And while most of the town’s significant structures are being painstakingly dismantled and rebuilt, the rest of the town, including its new town hall, has already been, or is being, built again from scratch.

The winning concept – from Danish architectural office Henning Larsen, together with firms Temagruppen, WSP and UiWE – is a tribute to Kiruna’s history and a framework for emerging communities. Named 'Kristallen', or ‘The Crystal,’ the building draws inspiration from the angular geometry of iron minerals that are fundamental to the town’s identity.

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03
Town Hall in Prague
Prague, Czech Republic
2018
A.LT Architekti

The town hall in Ďáblice, a residential zone located on the outskirts of Prague is an accessible, simple, single-storey building designed not as a monument, but rather an instrument for its users of all ages. The essence of the design is maximum openness and transparency, utilising light and air to the highest possible degree. The focus is not on demonstrating power and magnitude, instead, the building attempts to emphasise its public service function.

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04
Town Hall Eysturkommuna
Norðragøta, Faroe Islands
2018
Henning Larsen Architects

Inspired by nature and local-building traditions the town hall in Eysturkommuna makes a subtle appearance at first glance. Nevertheless, the impact of the house is anything but minimal. It pays tribute to the Nordic landscapes and the traditional local grass-roofed houses, but simultaneously defines a new path for contemporary Faroese architecture:

‘Many contemporary contributions to Faroese architecture directly copy elements from traditional buildings. I find it much more interesting to look into the underlying thoughts of traditional buildings,’ explains Ósbjørn Jacobsen, Partner at Henning Larsen.

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05
Rigaud City Hall
Rigaud, Quebec
2018
Affleck de la Riva Architects

Construction was recently completed on Rigaud City Hall, a new civic administration facility for a small Quebec community, 50 kilometres west of Montreal. Located at the confluence of the Rigaud and Ottawa rivers, Rigaud is noted for its natural attractions and historic village centre, which dates back to New France.

Designed by Affleck de la Riva Architects, the project gives new meaning to public administration and municipal activities in Rigaud through an urban redevelopment plan that proposes both the reorganisation of a section of the historic village centre and the new city hall building.

© Architonic