Cityhall Beringen
Powder coating with an anodised look enhances the dynamic unique glass facade of the new city hall
From closed school site to open city hall. This describes in a nutshell the story of the new Administrative Centre in the city of Beringen in Belgium. The iconic facade and chapel wing of the former school have been preserved, while the light and airy glass architecture of the newly built section reflects the surroundings and emphasises the public space. The powder-coated exterior joinery with an anodised look enhances the dynamic interplay of light and shadow on the facade. The architects chose a high-quality powder coating from The SuprAnodic Collection from Axalta Coating Systems.
The new city hall has been designed to house the various municipal services and Beringen Public Centre for Social Welfare under a shared roof. When the Sint-Jozefscollege relocated to a new campus on the outskirts of the city, the opportunity arose to convert the former school on the market square in Beringen into a city hall. “The building, where I personally spent several years of my youth, has served as a secondary school for no fewer than 317 years,” explains Mayor Thomas Vints. “This, of course, makes it an icon for our city and the reason we decided to preserve the facade and chapel wing. The unique ambience of the former chapel also provides a unique setting for the wedding hall and council chamber now housed there.”
Behind this, a beautiful interplay of light and shadow unfolds thanks to a curtain wall that encloses the entire newly built area. “The building is designed based on the philosophy that all walls are equal. The consistent use of a curtain wall allows us to create four uniform walls. There are no rear facades,” explains Bert Smets, project architect at UAU collectiv who sat at the drawing table together with Jaspers-Eyers Architects. “We also based the design on the available open space of the former – closed – school site, which we wanted to give back to the people of Beringen. The surroundings are reflected in the glass, so that the new sections do not dominate the foreground. The architecture is subservient to its surroundings, a public space that is almost larger than the market square itself. At the same time, we created a dialogue between old and new, which we maximised in the design. For example, we literally cut a corner out of the existing wall, as it were, in order to create the welcome zone of the city hall on the market square.”
Dynamic interplay of light and shadow
Band windows in the architectural facade offer panoramic views of the outside. To ensure a pleasant indoor climate, a canopy structure has been added as a permanent awning, supported by vertical fins that also give the office building a uniqueness in terms of aesthetics. This aluminium exterior joinery is covered with a powder coating from The SuprAnodic Collection, featuring powder coatings with an anodised look of the very highest quality, developed in the Alesta® SD SuperDurable quality from Axalta.
“In all of our projects, we invariably look for natural shades inspired by the project context. The bronze colour reflects the existing facades and enhances the dialogue between old and new,” explains Bert Smets. “Depending on the position of the sun, the joinery takes on a dark brown, almost wood colour or, alternatively, a radiant golden colour. Consequently, the colour strengthens the dynamic interplay of light and shadow on the facade, resulting in an ever-changing look throughout the day. The bronze shade also ensures recognisability, as we have also used it in subtle horizontal lines in the brick facade of the apartment buildings that make up part of the overall ensemble at the site. In the interior of the town hall, this colour is also found in the walls perpendicular to the curtain wall. For this aspect, the architects deliberately opted for a colour that matches the Axalta powder coating.”
Architectural gem
“The new city hall helps strengthen the city centre of Beringen. We also took advantage of the opportunity to revitalise the market square and adjacent streets,” says the mayor. “The city hall contributes to the upgrading of our city centre. It is an architectural gem, thanks in part to the bronze colour of the exterior joinery, which gives the building extra allure.”
UAU collectiv and Jaspers-Eyers Architects carried out this project in collaboration with BuroLandschap, Arcadis and contractors Democo and Willemen Construct.
www.uaucollectiv.com
www.jaspers-eyers.be
www.burolandschap.be
www.arcadis.com
democogroup.com
www.willemen.be
