The historical town hall located on the market square of Rottenburg is an architectural gem. Designed in the Baroque style by architect Johann Felder from the Austrian Vorarlberg region, it gives the charming small town its character. At the back of the town hall, there is an inconspicuous building from the 1960s that was originally built as a residential building for elderly people and has been gradually converted into an administrative building in recent years. Since there was no connection to the historical town hall, the town of Rottenburg wanted an extension to create a barrier-free link between the two buildings, with an additional entrance on the street Obere Gasse. The extension fills a gap in the urban fabric and preserves an important stairs connection in the town centre.
The integration of the building into the historical urban fabric and the steep slope posed a planning challenge. A cautious approach was necessary, considering the construction site with its nine-metre-deep foundation pit in the heart of the town.
The infill development in the historic town centre was carried out cautiously. To cope with the level difference to Obere Gasse and counteract the impression of a bulky volume with a total of seven floors, the building mass was differentiated into two distinct building sections. From the natural stone-clad structure that houses the base storeys, the three-storey building rises in a slightly recessed position, appearing as a solitary structure rather than part of an ensemble when viewed from Obere Gasse, fitting in well with the buildings in the small street. The spaces inside accommodate the building authority and family counselling, while the technical facilities, archives and storage rooms are located on the slope side. The ground floor houses the citizens’ office and the “wedding room”. The colour scheme of the façade, finished with sgraffito, blends in harmoniously with the natural stone used for the base.
Planning focused on creating a seamless connection between the existing buildings and the new extension. The floor heights had to be adjusted to match those of the existing buildings and were consequently planned to be relatively low. The building ensemble is accessed on different levels: on one hand, via the new building and its spacious entrance area on Obere Gasse, and on the other hand, via a connecting ramp that leads from the foyer of the historical town hall to the citizens’ office in the new building. Barrier-free access is provided through a small courtyard between the existing and new structures. To accentuate the joint between the historical town hall and the extension, the façade along the town’s stairs was clad with tall metal louvers.
