Citizens and great working environment at the center

Throughout the design phase, the aim has been to create a house that is both a modern workplace for employees and a natural, inviting gathering point for citizens. Entering the large, 37-meter-high atrium, you step into Høje-Taastrup’s new city square with green plants and small, cozy corners. Here, you find citizen-oriented functions such as reception, job center, citizen service and the council chamber, which has direct access to the city park. Thus, the outdoor areas can be included in events such as weddings held in the chamber.

In the atrium, you will also find the central staircase of the building.

"We have made the staircase a sculptural, functional element. It is designed with wide, seated steps from the lobby to the meeting center on the first floor, and from here it naturally leads up through the building. Painstakingly, we have worked on the design and integrated multiple functions, so that it can be used as a tribune for performances and gatherings, or simply offer a place to rest during the day," says Kim Ringvei, Project Manager, PLH Arkitekter.

From the staircase, you reach the first floor of the city hall, where you will find the multi-meeting hall, which can be used for meetings and public events. From the first floor, there is also access to small terraces offering great views of the park.

The next floors contain work areas organized around the open atrium with a clear view of the different floors to support coherence and knowledge sharing. On each floor, workstations are placed by the large window sections providing plenty of daylight. State-of-the-art solutions have been integrated to ensure optimal indoor climate with good air quality and acoustics. To future-proof the office areas, the design is flexible, so it can be easily adapted and reconfigured for new needs and work methods.

At the top of the building, there is a large rooftop terrace that can be used for events and opened to the public. The terrace is designed as an architectural landscape divided into several different levels with green vegetation, cozy corners and seating areas.

Focus on sustainable solutions

Høje-Taastrup's new city hall has been pre-qualified to receive the DGNB Gold sustainability certification from the Council for Sustainable Building and is expected to receive the final certification when data on the building's use is available. The certification is awarded because the design and construction have placed particular emphasis on solutions that contribute to making the project more sustainable in terms of climate, environment and social concerns.

The greenery around the city hall helps increase biodiversity in the area. At the same time, CO2 emissions from the construction have been reduced, as the city hall's foundation consists of recycled concrete from apartment buildings in the municipality that have been demolished.

The building's design also includes measures that reduce energy consumption and improve indoor climate. Among other things, there is intelligent control of heating and lighting, allowing energy consumption to match activities and needs, and in the open atrium, roof windows can be opened to make use of thermal updraft to draw heat out and cool the building without using energy.

Høje-Taastrup City Hall is the first of three new city halls designed by PLH Arkitekter set to open in 2023. Later this year, construction on Vordingborg City Hall and the new Hjortespring City Hall in Herlev is also expected to be completed.