City Hall Den Helder
Den Helder
2020-2023
City Hall Den Helder
Den Helder
2020-2023
Sustainable repurposing of historic wharf buildings into City Hall
Address: Willemsoord 66 & 72, Den Helder
Gross floor area: 6.800 m²
Client: City of Den Helder
Architecture: Office Winhov & Van Hoogevest Architecten
Team Office Winhov: Anna Tabellini, Jan Peter Wingender, Leon Kentrop, Charles Heuber, Anna Janssen, Martijn van Wijk, Dominique de Rond
Signage: Janno Hahn
Bespoke rugs: Edith van Berkel
Photography: Luuk Kramer, Max Hart Nibbrig, Stefan Müller
City Hall Den Helder
Den Helder
2020-2023

Den Helder is renewing its connection with its nautical culture and history by relocating to the former Royal Naval shipyard Willemsoord. The municipality will occupy two repurposed historic buildings on the site: the monumental 19th-century mast shed and the post-WWII sail-making facility. The move will also work to connect this long-neglected area to the larger city.

As a ‘house for the city’ (as city halls are called in Dutch) the mast shed has an inner public street with service counters, a council chamber, a wedding hall, a work café and a meeting center. The supporting structure of braced beams still defines the overall appearance. New skylights not only highlight the historic wooden construction, but also the names written on the wood of the ‘wharf-ians’ who once worked here.

Meanwhile, the sail-making facility is the home to the official administration of the municipality. The building features a void across all three floors, communal facilities and consultation areas. There are around 250 flexible workstations along the façades, offering a view of Willemsoord. The iconic concrete shell on the façade is adorned with contemporary maroon window frames.

Both buildings underwent sustainable redevelopment, which involved various energy-saving interventions. The city hall is now optimally insulated and boasts a Heat and Cold Storage facility. The roof of the former sail-making facility is also covered with solar panels – making the building fully energy-neutral.

By repurposing these buildings, the municipality has now secured the future of Willemsoord as an integral part of Den Helder.

City Hall Den Helder
Den Helder
2020-2023
Building 66 on the left, maroon façade of Buidling 72
Den Helder's City Hall on the former Royal Naval shipyard
The shipyard, 1940
Building 66 with building 72 in the background
Door to the Council Chamber
Wooden supervisor’s house from 1910 in Building 66
Ground level axonometric, Buildings 66 & 72
Wedding Hall, building 66
Council Chamber, Building 66
Building 66<br>section Building 66<br>section Building 66<br>ground floor Building 66<br>paneling fragment Building 66<br>North façade
Building 66
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Work café, buidling 66
Council Chamber, Building 66
Building 66's public axis
South façade Building 72
Southern facade before the transformation Building 72
Red façade elements with large windows
Work spaces with view over the shipyard
Void, Building 72
Buidling 72<br>section Buidling 72<br>ground floor Buidling 72<br>first floor Buidling 72<br>second floor Buidling 72<br>South façade
Buidling 72
section
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Concrete structure, building 72
Ground floor Building 72
First floor, Building 72