The center of Heerhugowaard, 30 miles north of Amsterdam, is changing dramatically. Central to the metamorphosis is a new city plaza right next to the Town Hall which dates from 1982. A new wing with information and social services for the public opens up the building to the outside world and invites it to come inside. A busy urban department store is created by interweaving public functions, where various services remain recognizable. The existing brick buildings are joined by two distinctly recognizable wings: a municipal department, clad in bluestone and a library with a wooden exterior. The 30 feet high entrance hall provides spatial coherence. An ambulatory around the adjacent courtyard connects the existing cube of the meeting hall with the new free-form spaces containing service counters, the book library with cafés for reading and internetting, the art lending library and the wedding room. A cupola topped with a mezzanine offers a splendid view of this new heart of Heerhugowaard.