De Karbrug

Townhalls, public buildings by nature, have seen their civic functions erode, leaving a carcass that only stands for performance. Governments often reduce themselves to their mere administrative tasks, something reflected in the faceless office buildings they inhabit, structures without gravity in the urban fabric due to their lack of civicness and outreach. By proposing a Stadsloket (en: district hall) that goes beyond its administrative tasks, this project researches architectural devices that enable a building to participate in the life of the city. The passage in the ground floor softens the edge between the governance and population, also filling the plinth and square with life. A Burgerzaal (en: citizen room) is a public interior conceived below the expressive structure of the roof, making the building able to host the cultural output of the neighbourhood, analogically linking it to the experience of the city. It is a building where you can be in public or be the public.