Brasschaat - Administrative centre

The municipality of Brasschaat and the Municiple Association for Social Welfare realized one singular Administrative Center which combines all previously scattered local services for the citizen. This newbuild is located within walking distance of the current city hall, which remains the identifying billboard of the city.

The design of Compagnie-O architects focuses on the public space: it continues uninterrupted within the building into the ‘forum’ - the central, multifunctional reception hall - and the ‘atrium’ - a very transparant servicefloor.The building mainly wishes to facilitate informal encounters: between citizens, between citizens and government, between policy makers and personnel, between employees and colleagues. The project is designed for the long term: the flexible structure makes it possible to expand or alter certain spatial divisions, as well as include new functions.

 

 

 

To design an Administrative Centre mainly entails the design of relations – formal and distant relations (e.g. civilian-government, policymakers-personnel), as well as profound, emotional ones (e.g. between colleagues or civilians).Rather than being a formal building, this project wishes to be an organizational form, facilitating and catering to these relations. To do so, the onset of the design consists of three complementary spatial concepts with corresponding intimacy level: the room, the platform and the forum.

The different programmatic elements add up to a spatial conglomerate: the generic form of the New Administrative Centre. This generic “mass” is then manipulated to fit into its surrounding urban conditions. The inevitability of its anomalous character within this predominantly residential quarter led to the creation of a firmly edged, autonomous and recognisable building.

Brasschaat town council wants to establish synergy between the social services (OCMW) and the local authority. The local authority departments and the OCMW are currently housed in different places. The aim is to bring them together in a single public place by building a new administrative centre (NAC) on the campus model adjacent to the present town hall, where citizens will find all the local services in one place.

While retaining the present town hall, we would like to build an NAC very close to it. By retaining the old town hall we focus attention on a building that is important to the borough and keep a place that gives the town an identity.

In addition to attractive and innovative architecture, the new building, at walking distance from the present town hall, should also concentrate on sustainable, low-energy use. As far as EPB regulations are concerned, the project as a whole must comply with the law that will come into force on 1 January 2014.

In addition to urban design and architectural quality, we would like to pay much attention to maximising cooperation between all the departments of the local council and the OCMW. The continued optimisation of cooperative structures is a coherent part of the brief. For the staff, the new building and the renovation of the existing town hall should be a pleasant and future-oriented work environment where the main focus is on the citizen. The local authority aspires to maximum digitisation of all departments and processes.

A variant is also requested, which includes a hall with stage for a potential audience of 350 to 400 people. The local council sees the building of an NAC as an opportunity to include a hall with stage. The designers will be asked to verify whether this function can offer added value in a well-integrated manner.

Candidates are also requested to formulate a vision for the design of the public domain around the existing town hall and the new NAC, as well as the public space between them. In the proposal for the NAC in Verhoevenlei, a vision is requested for the architectural appearance and finish of the whole building and the public space as far as Leopoldslei.

Budget: New administrative centre including hall with stage: €13,088,200 (excl. VAT)

Renovation of town hall: €700,000 (excl. VAT)

Overall fee of min. 8% and max. 12%