<translated>Town Hall</translated>

Alphen aan den Rijn is a young, dynamically developing city. Evidence of this is the current generous reconstruction of the city center, whose epicenter is the town hall building. The project for the new town hall was entrusted to no less dynamic architect - Erick van Egeraat, who has been developing one of the contemporary organic directions in architecture since leaving Mecanoo architecten. His whale-like forms were initiated by the reconstruction of a building in Budapest for ING, which has received numerous awards. Egeraat's organic architecture culminated in Alphen.
The town hall building reflects the democratic atmosphere of city governance. The generous transparent shell symbolizes a transparent political environment. Above the main entrance hovers a boldly cantilevered assembly hall of the local council. Herzog & de Meuron's glass facade print softens its scale.
The new town hall creates a regular urban block with its mass. Its outer shell is divided into several more comprehensible parts - a glass facade is alternated with stone cladding that is more sensitive to the neighboring family homes.
The architecture of the town hall in Alphen expresses its fragmentation and excessive formality, reflecting the spirit of our time.