Sustainable town hall with an open character

A building which generates energy and even purifies air

Cradle-to-Cradle town hall Venlo

Ballast Nedam Zuid built the town hall, resulting in a prominent building with a gross floor space of 13,500m² which generates energy, has a closed hydrological cycle and even purifies air.

  • 13,500 m2 surface area
  • 100 different plants in the facade

Cradle-to-cradle

Venlo has the world’s first town hall that was developed according to the principles of cradle-to-cradle. During the development process, people, planet and profit were taken into account as much as possible. To elaborate, the building is designed in a way that it stimulates interaction. Also, the residual value of materials has been evaluated from an economic point of view, in case the building needs to be demolished in the future. 

What makes the town hall extra special, is that it generates its own energy using a heat and cold storage system, photovoltaic modules and solar boilers. Rainwater is purified and a greenhouse on the roof enables natural ventilation. The most striking element of the building is the green northern facade, which purifies the air of the adjacent road and railway. More than 100 different plants in the facade contribute to the biodiversity and a cleaner environment.

Complex construction pit

Due to the underlying car park, a three layered construction pit had to be realised right next to the river the Maas. Because of an extremely high groundwater level/pressure, the construction pit had to be built with diaphragm walls. After that, the hull was raised and an aluminium curtain wall and wooden walls were applied to the exterior. A complex process which was executed professionally.

More information?

Harko Kloeze

Managing Director Ballast Nedam Zuid

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