A search for balance between technology and tradition. The new Hengelo City Hall will make the town centre the beating heart of the city again. The contemporary and sustainable ensemble consists of the new town hall and the existing monumental town hall. The two adjacent and connected buildings are programmatically one entity, but they have their own characters. The national monument has been given back its open character, atmospheric working spaces and a central city hall with special and restored materialisation. Next to it is the new building with a dynamic character, extraordinary spaciousness, lots of daylight, sustainable innovations and traditional local techniques.