Den Helder city hall in two former warehouses

Transformation with respect for a piece of maritime history

At the Old State Shipyard Willemsoord in Den Helder, nothing is mediocre. No building is erected here only to disappear after some time. Monumental quality and sustainability are paramount. A piece of maritime history has recently been given a new lease of life in the form of a bustling Town Hall, in which the impossible has certainly been made possible on a detailed level. A transformation, moreover, that has not gone unnoticed, as the building is winner in the stimulating environments category at BNA Best Building of the Year 2024.

To this day, the Rijkswerf has a striking significance for Den Helder. By moving to this location, the Municipality of Den Helder is renewing its connection with its nautical culture and history. The new Town Hall is situated in two repurposed former warehouses: the nineteenth century national monument the mastshed and the post-war sailmaker's workshop. Building 72, which, unlike Building 66, does not have monumental but iconic status, has undergone the most change in appearance to make it suitable for a working environment. On the front side, overlooking the slipway and Binnenhaven, particularly large windows were realized by Slump-Fictorie of Hoogeveen.

Vent wing

The windows in the end walls are indeed substantial, with dimensions of up to 5.40 meters wide and 2.70 high, agrees Harmen Slump, director of Slump-Fictorie. "It was therefore quite a challenge to assemble them, in this most windy spot in the Netherlands." By the way, the aluminum window frames in the longitudinal facades are smaller in size." All the frames are based on a new development from Kawneer, which incorporates a narrow ventilation wing over the entire height of the frame. "It is basically a 220-mm-wide pivot element, equipped with the same hidden hardware as you find on a tilt-and-turn window. The sash pivots inward, can be opened at right angles and is fitted with an insulated aluminum panel," Harmen explains. "The architect thought it was a nice concept and applied it very deliberately, to still provide good ventilation in this windy environment." 

Elegant window frames

Walking along the Oude Rijkswerf past the building, you won't recognize the ventilation wings as such. They, like most of the window frames, are hidden from view by aluminum window frames designed by M.C. Kersten of Amsterdam. The frames are embellished with elegant round and perforated details, giving the whole a sophisticated look. "The frames are attached to the structural set frames for our frames and are also in the same color," says Harmen. "A highly unusual menie-red color that was already prescribed in the specifications. The color choice is a nod to the past, and is a reference to the shipbuilding of days gone by." Nevertheless, it was still quite a puzzle, especially to provide the substantial sizes of window frames with a high-quality powder coating that also meets the stipulated (high) corrosion load class C5. After all, City Hall is right by the sea.

Menie-red color

It was up to EUROLACKE Powdercoatings to put together the right menie-red color. "Because the architect insisted on composite parts, it was not possible to make the enormous window frames modular," says Gerd De Lathauwer, key account manager at EUROLACKE Powdercoatings. The parts were so large, up to 6 by 3.8 meters, that chemical pretreatment in a bath series or spray tunnel in accordance with Qualicoat SeaSide was simply not going to work. Nevertheless, we did not want to make any concessions in Den Helder with regard to the technical performance of the system, meeting corrosion load class C5. In my opinion, something exceptional only comes about when you join forces in the chain. Thinking together about something that does not seem manufacturable, making it manufacturable and verifying beforehand that it all holds up in relevant corrosion tests. The rest is history. The end result speaks to the imagination."

Harmen also looks back on a fine cooperation with all parties involved. In total, Slump-Fictorie delivered over 850 m2 of aluminum window frames, all equipped with
solar control and soundproof glass from vandaglas. "On the inside, we additionally applied decorative sleeves to the window frames. They are optically recessed to create a more solid appearance. Of course, again executed in the special menie-red color. All in all, another wonderful reference for us and a beautiful redevelopment of an existing building." 

With this rezoning, the Municipality of Den Helder secures the future of both buildings - and provides an important impetus for further connection of the wharf and the city and its residents.