Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov

Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeLeiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeLeiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Exterior Photography, Windows, Brick, FacadeLeiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Interior Photography, Door, Column, BeamLeiden City Hall / Office Winhov - More Images+ 30

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Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© René de Wit

Text description provided by the architects. Leiden's City Hall has been renovated and made more sustainable. Adapted to the new working methods of local government, the City Hall offers the municipality an appropriately rich and welcoming stage that again reflects the original allure of this monument – one with roots going back to the 14th Century.

Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Interior Photography, Bench, Windows
© Stefan Müller
Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Interior Photography, Column
© Stefan Müller
Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Image 25 of 35

The basis for the renovation – or reworking – is C.J. Blaauw’s design that essentially built the City Hall from the ground up after a devastating fire in 1929. His design was intensely modern: a reinforced concrete construction clad on both sides. This meant the exterior brick could align with the surviving 16th-century Renaissance facade on Breestraat and the adjacent old center.

Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Exterior Photography, Windows, Brick, Facade
© Stefan Müller

Meanwhile, the interior could be more program-facing with a rich and varied palette of marble floors and walls, wooden paneling, stucco ceilings, and decorations to denote hierarchy between the different spaces. Naturally, the public halls were on top – and as such, almost over the top.

Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Interior Photography, Door, Column, Beam
© René de Wit
Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Interior Photography, Door
© Stefan Müller

We added a restrained layer as an informed response to the existing layers of the building. It was an assimilative approach whereby the old and the new remain legible while minimizing contrast. For example, the marble floors were supplemented with terrazzo, which followed the original marble pattern. Naturally, the building’s layout and installations were adapted entirely to contemporary comfort standards. With its 1990s glass roof removed, the new courtyard garden forms a direct connection with the city and its rich past – inviting citizens and guests to the administrative heart of the city.

Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© René de Wit

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Project location

Address:Stadhuisplein 1, 2311 EJ Leiden, The Netherlands

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Leiden City Hall / Office Winhov" 03 Dec 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/992317/leiden-city-hall-office-winhov> ISSN 0719-8884

© René de Wit

莱顿市政厅 / Office Winhov

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