The building with a total area of 64,000 m2 is located in a busy part of the city - next to the city station. However, this proximity created difficulties for the architects: there is not much space, so the Town Hall partially hangs over the station, in addition, both of these buildings had to be accessible from the "plateau" that blocks the railroad tracks and platforms. In addition, there was a bus and light rail interchange at ground level, which also had to be bypassed by the Kraaijvanger bureau.
As a result, the podium of the Utrecht municipality building (these are the 3 lower above-ground tiers) is occupied by parking and technical rooms, and above it a public area begins, grouped around an atrium with a lobby. The main entrance to the Town Hall is from the “central boulevard” raised to the podium, connecting the two parts of the city, cut by railroad tracks.
The five public tiers around the atrium are slightly shifted relative to each other, which creates additional perspectives and enlivens the space. The architects tried to avoid the expected association of their large-scale construction with the "stronghold of bureaucracy", so they filled it with light and visually connected the upper office floors with the lower ones open to the townspeople. Downstairs there is also a winter garden with subtropical plants and a 4-storey "window".
The “atrium” part of the building divides the site with the train station. Above it is a wider rectangular "layer", which is then divided into two towers. The number of columns has been deliberately reduced, for example, the south tower is supported by only three pillars. Spaces that cut out the facades enliven their rectangular grid.
The deep plan of the City Hall required the construction of numerous “recesses”, atriums, courtyards and public areas with elevated ceilings (on the 6th, 11th and 21st floors) to provide all spaces with natural light. The resulting layout, which is different for each floor, breaks the usual idea of an administrative building as a series of faceless typical floors with the same faceless officials in countless offices.
