Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP11

Municipality of Rijswijk

Close to residents and easily accessible for everyone: this brief description applies to the Huis van de stad (Town Hall), located in the municipality of Rijswijk, which houses a library, a music and culture centre and a welfare organisation. Architect INBO made the eye-catching building more sustainable, providing the design for the floor plans and interior. Ahrend set up 350 workspaces for the municipality, providing furniture for various meeting rooms, call rooms, focus rooms, rooms for the mayor, city council members and the council chamber. Ahrend's Circular Hub repurposed the old furniture. 'The atmosphere and experience in the Huis van de stad Rijswijk have been given a score of 8!'

Huis van de stad (the Town hall)

The Huis van de stad (the town hall), located on a large pond with a 60-metre high bell tower, was designed by architect J.C. van Buijtenen in 1967. The natural stone facades were recently restored, all the fittings were revamped and the roof was fitted with solar panels. This renovation work has turned the Huis van de stad into a Nearly Energy Neutral Building and a vibrant centre that residents can enjoy. This is where Rijswijk's residents can get married, read books, attend cultural events, take music lessons or engage in other daytime activities.

Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP09

Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP14

Semi-open office concept

The atrium is transparent, providing an inviting meeting area. The municipal council is located on three floors in a semi-open office layout. Ahrend has supplied the right furniture to support the new workspace concept of activity-based working. As Jan Jaap Viering, account manager at Ahrend, explains: 'We have set up 350 workspaces with Ahrend Balance sit-stand desks (solo, duo, trio and scrum workplaces) and Ahrend Prime office chairs. In order to ensure maximum comfort when seated, we have helped employees determine their ideal configuration. Our workspaces are located in the office area, but also in the various call rooms, focus and quiet rooms.'

‘'Every answer showed that Ahrend is happy to think along and respond quickly'’

Facility Project Manager Municipality of Rijswijk

Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP03

Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP13

Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP08

Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP15

Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP12

Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP18

From council chamber to Mayor and council members chambers&

In addition to workspaces, Ahrend has supplied furniture for various meeting rooms, Mayor and council members chambers& and the council chamber. 'Think of Ahrend Aero, A314 and Cross. The Ahrend Well, Prime and A2020 chairs that we have supplied in different company colours for each floor match this. We have also supplied furniture items from partners. This is mainly for informal gatherings on lounge sofas, seats and coffee tables from HAY, Muuto and DeVorm. There are (movable) room dividers and acoustic screens available to provide some shielding in the open-plan area.'

Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP06

Circular and social

The municipality of Rijswijk not only set ergonomic and aesthetic requirements in terms of the design, it also had to be delivered on a sustainable and circular basis. Jan Jaap: 'The client wanted us to repurpose the old furniture, a brief we have fulfilled well thanks to our Circular Hub. 90% of the second-hand furniture has been given a new lease of life, while the remainder has been reused as a component or raw material. These kinds of assignments make me genuinely proud. At Ahrend, we can achieve all of this ourselves, ranging from second-hand to custom-made and new, while keeping an eye on the human and environmental aspects.'

Royal Ahrend government project interior view of City House Rijswijk in Rijswijk SP16

Municipality of Rijswijk about Ahrend 

'Working with Ahrend was always a pleasant experience. All the feedback from them showed that Ahrend likes to think proactively and responds quickly. We had mentioned that we were short of time, to which they responded flexibly by making deliveries in stages at times that suited us. Circularity was also an important factor for us. Ahrend has given our second-hand furniture a new lease of life elsewhere.'
This proactive thinking was reflected in everything, including in the trial placement for instance. We consider an electrically adjustable sit-stand desk a 'must', and the same for an easily adjustable ergonomic office chair. We operate the Huis van de stad using flexible workspaces, which provides a nice touch if you can easily adjust your temporary workspace to your working posture.
The design and wide selection of different furniture and work, consultation, meeting, quiet and call areas fit in well with the activity-oriented work approach. According to the survey ratings, users give the atmosphere and experience in our Huis van de stad an 8!'

Project Manager, Municipality of Rijswijk

Photography: Stijn Poelstra