Ede Town Hall interior

The basis of the design is formed by the culture change process of the municipality of Ede. To support this process, the offices of the current town hall, designed by architectural firm Broekbakema in 1977, will be redeveloped. This new interior supports and strengthens the following issues: Ede’s position as a ‘Green, Sound and Active’ municipality; the core values of the organization: Confidence, Responsibility and Transparency; and the theme ‘The New World of Work’.
We have examined the existing building and the possibilities it offers. Ede’s town hall is an elongated building varying from 2 to 4 storeys high, and built up in 4 volumes which are interrupted by central stairwells. The routing through the existing building has been transferred from a central passage with rooms on both sides, to open spaces with the walking route alongside the facade: an asymmetric corridor creating differentiations in the area, and making it possible to have more tranquil working places at the opposite facade.

By using transparent fronts, bordered on the central split-level stairwells, the walking route and the view to other floors become more apparent. People are more likely to take the stairs, and the floors are much more connected to each other. Thus, they have become major meeting places. Bordering on the stairwells, the so called ‘sitting rooms’ have their own special place: this is where the employees meet each other to have a coffee, an informal chat, or to hold departmental meetings. The pantries, printers and toilets can also be found here.

The places to work are equipped according to The New World of Work; the employees no longer have their own room or fixed desk, and in the evening all desks are left clean. All this to make sure that the space is used as durably and efficiently as possible. After the completion, a current second accommodation can even be closed down. The workplaces have various characters: there are places where people can work in a focused way, places where people can work together and there are places for completing administrative work.

The former small rooms have been replaced by an open space, due to which the existing characteristic column structure becomes beautifully visible again and an optimum amount of daylight flows in. The closed areas necessary for, for instance, concentration and consultation, have been placed strategically, and thus create shelters between the closed areas where people can find comfortable, quiet workplaces.

The colour palette consists of related greens, yellows and blues: these colours represent a relaxed and concentrated attitude in Ede’s green environment and provide a ‘typical’ atmosphere. Colours are prominently present in the sitting rooms and the various concentration and consultation areas, whereas peace and quiet reign in the rest of the working areas, thanks to light natural colours. Strips of wood above the concentration and consultation areas, and diverse pieces of furniture give them character and provide privacy. A charming detail in the working areas is formed by the wheeled stools, made from wood that comes from the forests of Ede.