Cultural · 2023
A civic room the whole town uses
Halden Municipality
2.3×
Annual visits
900 m²
Public hall
On budget
Cost/m²
Overview
A public library conceived as a generous indoor square rather than a monument, open to everyone from dawn until late.
The brief
The town wanted a landmark, but the brief and budget really called for a warm, well-used public room — and the two ambitions kept pulling against each other.
Our approach
We put a single great timber roof over a flexible, column-free hall and let the shelving, seating, and light define softer rooms within it, so the building reads as one welcoming space at any scale.
The outcome
Visits have more than doubled since opening and the hall now hosts everything from toddler groups to town meetings. It was named Civic Building of the Year.
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Something like this?
Every building starts with a conversation about the site. Let's have one.