Who says old buildings aren't energy-efficient? They managed to expand and save even more electricity.

Photo credit: Franco Casaccia / JSWD

 

The town hall and library in Brühl, Germany, aim to extend the existing town hall and integrate the adjacent Janshof square in the design. The original annex built in the 1960s will be replaced.

 

Photo credit: Schmitz.Reichard GmbH

 

 

The key challenge in the design was how to connect the new building with the historic town hall and renovate it while strictly complying with heritage protection regulations. The final result is an accessible, future-oriented town hall that not only meets the latest energy-saving standards but also features flexible spatial layouts, achieving synergy through the integration of different functions.

 

Photo credit: Taufik Kenan

 

 

The municipal office spaces are located above the civil service counters (offices and marriage registration office).

 

All floors of the new section house the municipal library, with the children's library located in the basement and opening onto a reading courtyard.

 

Photo credit: Taufik Kenan

 

A clear signage system ensures the town hall spaces are easy to identify and use.

 

The new entrance hall is the core node connecting the new and old buildings with the urban interface. It opens onto the pedestrian street and the largely car-free Janshof square. Visitors can merge here with the flow of people entering the historic town hall via Markt square.

 

Photo credit: Taufik Kenan

 

 

The design of the new building is inspired by the diverse urban spaces and scales of Brühl's historic city center.

 

Its front volume echoes the contours and forms of the historic town hall, creating an overall shape that is both distinctive and regionally characteristic.

 

Photo credit: Jens Kirchner

 

Three interlocking volumes are arranged following the street direction, with their gable facades facing the street.

 

Some brick walls feature perforated designs, allowing natural light to gently filter indoors.

 

The facade and roof uniformly use light-colored bricks, further enhancing the geometric block effect of the new building.

 

Photo credit: Christa Lachenmaier

 

 

The project is committed to achieving maximum sustainability, with specific measures including:

 

Historic structure preservation: Retaining as much of the original historic building structure as possible.

 

Energy supply: Using a combined heat and power plant for energy and heating.

 

Energy-saving design: Employing triple-glazed windows, maximizing natural lighting, external shading systems, and concrete component thermal activation technology to effectively reduce overall energy consumption.

 

Photo credit: Franco Casaccia / JSWD

 

 

JSWD Architecture was founded in Cologne, Germany, in 2000. Since 2021, it has expanded with branches in Berlin, Germany, and Tampa, USA. Currently, the two founders—Olaf Drehsen and Frederik Jaspert—along with partners Tobias Unterberg, Mario Pirwitz, and Christian Mammel, lead a team of about 240 employees from over 30 countries.

 

JSWD has completed more than 60 architectural projects in Germany and Europe, covering a wide range of types including cultural and event buildings, residential, office, schools, healthcare buildings, as well as renovations and functional upgrades of existing buildings.

 

Photo credit: Christa Lachenmaier

 

As architects and urban planners, the firm shows a dedicated pursuit of materials and design and takes responsibility for sustainable planning. From the project's conception, they assume responsibility for its success and, as general planners, oversee the entire process until final delivery. Through collaborations with architectural firms in France, Spain, Luxembourg, and the USA, JSWD gains additional architectural, technical, and intellectual inspiration and works efficiently on joint construction projects.

 

Clarity of concept and form runs through all JSWD projects. They use a few clearly defined elements to create unique structural and spatial layers. Each design is based on the specific context and reflects the users' self-image (corporate office buildings), shaping a distinctive identity.

 

Photo credit: Franco Casaccia / JSWD

 

The objective of the competition was to plan an extension for the existing town hall and to create a concept for adjacent Janshof square. The project involved replacing an extension that was built in the 1960s.

 

One particular challenge was connecting the new building to the historic town hall, and then renovating it in line with heritage requirements. The result is an accessible, future-oriented town hall that meets the latest energy standards, designed to enable flexible use and to tap into synergies by connecting various building functions.

 

Photo credit: Franco Casaccia / JSWD

 

The offices of the municipal authorities are located above the civil registry offices (Bürgeramt and Standesamt). The municipal library is spread across all floors of the new building, with a children's library in the basement that opens up to a reading courtyard. Clear signage makes the town hall easy to navigate. The new foyer opens up to both the pedestrian zone and the now largely car-free Janshof. From here, visitors' paths converge with those of pedestrians entering the historic building via Markt.

 

Photo credit: Franco Casaccia / JSWD

 

The new building plays with the idea of different urban spaces and proportions in Brühl's historic city center. The front building references the form of the historic town hall, creating a cubature that is at once unique and also typical of the region. The three interlocking structures are oriented so that their gables face the adjacent street, with brickwork partially perforated so that it filters the light coming into the underlying windows. The same light-colored bricks are used for the facade and the roof, thus reinforcing the cubic effect of the new building.

 

Photo credit: Franco Casaccia / JSWD

 

The project aims for the greatest possible sustainability. For example, the firm preserved as much of the historic building's fabric as possible. Energy and heat are supplied by a combined heat and power plant. In addition to triple-glazed windows, a great deal of natural light, and external solar protection, concrete component activation guarantees lower energy consumption.

 

Photo credit: Franco Casaccia / JSWD

 

JSWD is an architecture firm founded in Cologne, Germany in 2000. Since 2021, it has also had locations in Berlin, Germany, and Tampa, USA. Today, its two founders – Olaf Drehsen and Frederik Jaspert – along with partners Tobias Unterberg, Mario Pirwitz, and Christian Mammel, lead a team of around 240 employees from more than 30 countries.

 

With over 60 buildings completed in Germany and Europe, JSWD's portfolio boasts a wide range of projects, from cultural and event buildings, to residential buildings, offices, and schools, and from healthcare buildings to the conversion and repurposing of existing structures.

 

Photo credit: Franco Casaccia / JSWD

 

As an architect and urban planner, the firm demonstrates its passion for material and design and takes responsibility for sustainable planning. Starting from the initial idea, they assume responsibility for the success of every project and, as a general planner, guide each project all the way to the final handover. In cooperation with architecture firms in other countries, including France, Spain, Luxembourg, and the US, JSWD is able to find additional sources of architectural, technical, and intellectual inspiration and work together effectively on joint construction projects.

The pursuit of conceptual and formal clarity runs through all of JSWD's construction projects like a common thread. Working with just a few clearly defined elements allows for unique structural and spatial hierarchies. At the same time, each design develops its own identity based on the details of the situation and the desire to reflect the self-image of the user in the form of corporate architecture.

 

Photo credit: Christa Lachenmaier

 

Program: New construction of the Library and Refurbishment of the old City Hall
Address: Steinweg 1, 50321 Brühl, Germany
Client: City of Brühl
Architecture: JSWD, 1st prize competition 2017
Completion: 2023
Structural design: Kempen Krause Ingenieure Aachen
Building service engineering: DEERNS
Library and interior planning: UKW Innenarchitekten, Krefeld
Landscape: RMPSL, Bonn

Site: 4,800 sqm
GFA: 5,200 sqm