a-lab

Town Hall . Tonsberg

photos: a-lab

Urban Concept
The given site is a controversial location for the new City hall. The site is in fact a leftover of the urban fabric; it has no clear identity and definition. In front is Farmand market, a square that is crying out for something that provides a clear character and dynamism, both locally and in relation to the city.

To achieve the harmony between context and design, we suggest that the City Hall its entirety placed on Farmand market. This gesture will emphasize the City hall as the epicenter of the city, giving the space for an iconic volume to emerge.The left-over area should be repaired with additional program to complete the urban fabric. Town Hall and the NAV offices are physically connected under the street by a tunnel/ amphitheatre.City Hall The design is defined by the limitation in the foot print, since we are moving the building to the square; We want to occupy the minimum of floor space (max 15%). The inverted pyramid becomes an inevitable geometric principal. The concept is to create an “open” city hall, with the first floor and “roof plaza” accessible to everyone. The office floors have different dimensions according to the program and typology of work spaces. The inverted pyramid geometry also lends itself to the creation of shadow and natural ventilation reducing energy consumption.