total gross floor surface 19.000 m²
Commissioned by Minicipality of Heerhugowaard

In the center of Heerhugowaard, 30 miles north of Amsterdam, it is external space of the new city square that connects buildings, old and new. Inside, the entrance hall of Town Hall and library performs the same function. Public administration meets the world of books. The difference in opening times is solved by a hydraulic staircase that descends when the library opens.

Just as flexible is the interior of the Town Hall, where even the mayor has no desk of his own. Cubicles for concentrated work, meeting rooms and consultation rooms next to open desks along the façade replace the traditional corridor with offices on both sides. The administration is transparent.

The library is a department store with books arranged by themes instead of in alphabetical order. Children's books are divided into Dreams for fantasy, The World and I for practical information and Doing for activities. Large-scale graphics, supported by color, point the way. In the Town Hall a palette of bright white, gray and black replaces the former haze of beige.