Rathaus und Stadtbibliothek Brühl
Credits
Company / Customer
Designer
Year
2026
Location
Brühl (DE)
Disciplines
Architecture
Category
Public
Award
Best of Best
Details
The new library extends the volume of the town hall, which has been renovated in accordance with historic preservation guidelines. Three staggered gables form the facade facing the alley, while large openings mark the entrances and reading areas, and perforated facades define the offices. The light-coloured, flat-format bricks extend up to the roof surfaces, reinforcing the building’s cubic form. Filter masonry protects against excessive UV exposure.
The Jury‘s Statement
In a harmonious ensemble, this project carefully blends heritage conservation and modern architecture, enabling the town hall and its adjoining municipal library to stand out uniquely within the historic town centre. The integration of the new building into the refurbished old building, with its flush-aligned volume, has been exceptionally successful. The monolithic clinker brickwork also makes a radical commitment to materiality, the most striking feature of the new building, while sand-coloured bricks not only clad the whole facade but also the entire pitched roof surface, giving the structure a sculptural appearance and making it seem as though it were cast from a single mould. Furthermore, the volume—comprising three interlocking, gabled single-family homes—forms the front section of the building while respecting the scale of Brühl’s historic district, once again creating a restrained yet harmonious urban presence.
