PROJECT DETAILS

Johannes Van den Broek / Jacob Bakema: City Hall, 1959D–1967

  • Marl, Germany, Show on map
  • #GOV #Public #FoldedPlate #Highrise #FeaturedPhotographer #Klaas Vermaas #Western Europe
  • Different volumes meet here. Most striking is certainly the council wing. Its expressive, gigantic concrete body seems almost dangerous and could remind you of a futuristic spider. A 60-meter-long concrete folding structure forms the roof under which, behind a glass-reinforced concrete facade, there are meeting rooms. A concrete staircase leads the visitor to a terrace in front of the glass facade from where he can view the concrete structured facade. 

    A flat L-shaped building, standing on pillars and covered with marble, surrounds the council wing. From here a bridge leads to one of the office towers. Standing on slim feet and with widely projecting storeys, they stand confidently on the site. A roof set off by an open floor gives the buildings an elegant appearance. However, this is only possible because of the external prestressed concrete elements which also function as a design element. The public building is located behind the two towers. A reinforced concrete skeleton structure, also covered with marble, like the towers, stands on a base and projects far beyond it.

  • Heritage listed, but in need of technical modernization. Structural renovation enacted. Beginning of construction scheduled for autumn 2018.