New Additions to the Collection
The town hall and its forecourt serve as a connecting hub, linking the various local structures together
Designed by Kauffmann Theilig & Partner, Unterschneidheim's new town hall acts as a vital transition between the rural town center and the larger institutional buildings—school and fire station—that define the northern and eastern edges of the site. Two building blocks oriented north-south create visual and physical permeability, bridging the old and new. The new forecourt, furnished with seating, welcomes both lingering and gatherings, while an orchard meadow—inspired by the surrounding landscape—gracefully frames the plaza and anchors it to the natural context.
The building's double-wing layout enables both efficiency and flexibility in its spatial organisation. The heart of the structure—a central distribution and communication zone—houses the entrance, foyer, waiting area, and information desk. Meeting rooms on the ground and first floors are strategically positioned to open onto these foyer spaces, making it possible to merge them into larger, unified areas for receptions, exhibitions, and special events. The sloped roof on the first floor, which shelters the citizens' hall, creates impressively generous ceiling heights. Dormer windows punctuate the façade, framing compelling views while flooding interiors with natural daylight—a design move that substantially cuts both artificial lighting needs and the building's overall energy demand. While load-bearing and ground-contact elements are reinforced concrete, transparent areas employ timber construction paired with external textile solar shading.
The asymmetrical gable roofs employ timber framing and are clad in matte standing seam roofing. The architects conceived the building form with deliberate compactness—a favourable envelope-to-volume ratio that streamlines both construction and long-term operations. District heating from the neighbouring school supplies thermal energy to the building. Concrete floor slabs with integrated radiant heating provide base heating in winter and passive cooling in summer. All thermal systems incorporate heat recovery technology.
Photography:
Roland Halbe
www.rolandhalbe.de
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