Hamar Town Hall
Hamar, Norway was formerly one of the host towns for the 1994 Winter Olympics, and the design of the new town hall was intended to portray the city’s increasingly important role in Norway.
The most striking characteristic of the design is the diagonal arrangement of the building plan across the existing square city block. The diagonal allows the new entrance plaza to become a link between the adjacent city park and the main access street to the north. The exterior public areas are as important in the design as the interior functions. Protruding from the main administrative volume are two pavilions: one housing the council chambers and the other containing the double height entrance lobby.
The Town Hall contains administrative functions as well as the council chambers, a gracious public vestibule, café, and a small health center.
A triangular north facade pointing toward the main entrance road is composed of metal that resonates providing the bell sound for the area and creating a unique evolution in the idea of the public bell tower; the bell and the building act as a unifying element.
The foyer
