Aarschot City Hall

This article highlights one of our earlier projects — led by our former colleague Dirk before his retirement. From 2016 to 2019, we proudly carried out the renovation of the Aarschot city hall. Our director Paul reflects on the project.

The City of Aarschot’s request

“In the past, all services within the Aarschot city hall were scattered across multiple floors. To improve operational efficiency, the city wanted to centralise all citizen-related contact points on the ground floor.”

  • Builder

    City of Aarschot

  • Location

    Aarschot

  • Date

    2016-2019

Efficient flows and unique concepts

“In the first phase of the project, we tackled the ground floor. Our goal was to restore the original spatial qualities of the building. After completely stripping the floor, we created space for a reception desk, waiting area, and service counters. Here, flow was key — a great challenge in the spirit of ‘Where beauty meets purpose’.”

The flow is as follows:

  • A citizen enters the building;
  • Registers at the reception and receives a queue number;
  • Takes a seat in the lounge, where the queue numbers and service counters are shown on screen;
  • Is called and directed to the appropriate counter;
  • Leaves the building.

“In addition to our redesign of the ground floor, we also proposed a makeover of the building’s façade. After all, if you’re renovating the interior, it only makes sense to also improve the building’s energy performance on the outside.”

“The façade became a unique design concept. Since the city hall represents the beating heart of the municipality, we reflected that symbolism in the architecture. We installed vertical slats shaped like a cardiogram — a visual metaphor for the heartbeat of the city’s residents. The windows were also given a mirrored finish, reflecting the surrounding urban landscape. A striking result!”

“As the project progressed, the City of Aarschot grew increasingly confident in our collaboration. So much so, that we were entrusted with a third phase: the renovation of the remaining floors — including furnishings, colours and overall layout.”

“This project was carried out in partnership with Infrabo Group, who managed the technical studies.”

Challenges

“The biggest challenge was phasing the works in such a way that the city hall could remain operational. Thanks to excellent coordination with the client, the entire renovation proceeded smoothly.”

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