City Hall Den Helder
Den Helder
2020-2023
City Hall Den Helder
Den Helder
2020-2023
Transformation and renovation of monumental buildings at the historical dockyard into a city hall
Address: Willemsoord 66 & 72, Den Helder
Gross floor area: 6.800 m²
Client: City of Den Helder
Architecture: Office Winhov & Van Hoogevest Architecten
Team Office Winhov: Anna Tabellini, Jan Peter Wingender, Leon Kentrop, Charles Heuber, Anna Janssen, Martijn van Wijk, Dominique de Rond
Photography: Luuk Kramer, Max Hart Nibbrig, Stefan Muller
City Hall Den Helder
Den Helder
2020-2023

A House of the City on Willemsoord.

The former naval ship yard Willemsoord forms a unique ensemble in Den Helder. By relocating the town hall to Willemsoord, the municipality is committing to its nautical culture and history.

Building 72, the former sail manufacturer from 1949, is a recognizable beacon amid the nautical activities on the shipyard. The new workspaces are organized around a void in the heart of the building. The design is based on the characteristic concrete shell. The originally pragmatic composition of the facades are replaced by a transparent interpretation that expresses the public character of the building.

Building 66, a mast shed from 1826, is a national monument and built in a sober neoclassical style. The building forms the connection between the southern quay and the central area of ​​the yard. The monumental wooden roof construction determines the character of the inner street along which the public counters, the council chamber and wedding hall and the meeting center are placed.

The sustainable repurposing of the buildings safeguards the future of both buildings and gives an important impulse to the further development of Willemsoord.

City Hall Den Helder
Den Helder
2020-2023
Entrance building 72
The dockyard, 1940
Southern view of building 66 and 72
Southern facade before the transformation building 72
Ground level axonometric, buildings 66 & 72
Historical collage of brick, building 66
The Wedding Hall, building 66
The Council Chamber, building 66
Building 66's public axis
facade building 72
Concrete structure, building 72
Central void, building 72