Town Hall and Community Centre, Holzwickede | Germany

Client: Gemeinde Holzwickede (Municipality)

Architect: Bez + Kock Architekten, Stuttgart

Project period: 2017 – 2023

Service: Planning and site supervision (LP 1-9), sanitary systems, heating systems, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, cooling systems, electrical systems, IT and communications systems, lift and conveyance systems,
fire protection engineering, building automation systems, media systems engineering, lighting design

Net costs building services in €: 3,600,000

Renovation of the listed building and new construction to consolidate municipal functions

The listed town hall of the municipality of Holzwickede which was heavily in need of rehabilitation was transformed into a modern council and community centre through renovation and extension. The uses that were previously spread across  several buildings at different locations have now been consolidated in a central location.

The overarching goal of the project is to strengthen the town centre as a communicative hub that celebrates community life, invites people to come together, forms a social and cultural focal point, and reinforces the identity of the municipality. Special emphasis is placed on creating a high quality of stay, designed to bring the citizens of Holzwickede together informally within the new council and community centre.

Access to the new building is provided at ground level via the marketplace. The U-shaped new build connects to the existing building at two points via linking bridges spanning all floors. The entrance hall serves as a civic forum and forms the core of the new building. The hall is designed for flexible use, functioning as a citizen service point, foyer for the assembly hall, event venue, and central communication space. Directly adjoining the entrance hall on the ground floor is the assembly hall. Facing the marketplace, there is a commercial area for catering, which can be booked externally.

Barrier-free access is provided by a lift in the new building and an additional lift in the entrance hall, granting access to the existing building.

Heating and cooling are supplied by two air-cooled heat pumps connected to a combined heating and cooling buffer storage system. The underfloor heating operates as a low-temperature system. The compact air-cooled heat pumps are located on the roof. Heating circuits are regulated by highly efficient variable-speed circulation pumps. Cooling is provided exclusively for the ventilation systems.

All ventilation units have heat recovery with a minimum efficiency of 75% and comply with the Ecodesign Directive (EU Regulation No. 1253/2014) mandatory since 2018. On the maximally available roof area, 176 photovoltaic modules of 405 Wp each were installed,totaling 71.28 kWp capacity.

The citizen’s room (former council cellar) as well as the assembly hall are equipped with active media technology. This includes presentation technology integrated into the audio systems, conference systems, microphone systems, projection screens, and sound reinforcement systems. This equipment enables flexible use for district council meetings as well as concerts, conferences, and private events.

Lighting design

The prominent urban location and architectural quality required a carefully coordinated artificial lighting scheme. At the same time, energy specifications defined clear technical limits. A representative lighting concept was implemented in public areas, significantly exceeding basic illumination, including:

  • Civic forum with circulation areas, information desk, and citizen service counters
  • Citizen service offices
  • Assembly hall with balcony
  • Corridors of the new building
  • Citizen’s room and registry office in the existing building

In the three-storey foyer, the civic forum, the sides of the numerous skylights are lined with light ceilings. Lighting integrated into the handrails accompanies the balustrades. The multifunctional assembly hall features dimmable downlight
base lighting and decorative ceiling luminaires made of partly satin-finished, mouth-blown glass. Corridors in the new building are highlighted by a continuous ceiling light strip. During the renovation of the existing building, lighting was carefully
selected in coordination with heritage preservation authorities. The registry office received distinctive light rings and accentuating ceiling spotlights. Plaster wall lights in the corridors, painted to match the wall colour, blend discreetly and recede behind their functional role.

Fotos: © ZWP Ingenieur-AG / Stephanie Feld

German Lighting Design Award 2025 in the category "Interior Lighting/Public Spaces"

see also:

www.lichtdesign-preis.de/nominierungen-2025/