In 2018, Hoskins Architects won third prize in the competition for the redevelopment and expansion of the listed town hall in Westerland on the island of Sylt, located off Germany’s North Sea coast. The proposal seeks to improve much needed civic representation to the island by consolidating civic functions from various locations. These functions are combined into three separate departments: civic events, citizen services and a public hall. Two additional functions, a proposed conference centre and administration department, are located in a new extension to the north of the existing building.

Architectural interventions, such as spatial changes within the existing building as well as the location, form and materiality of the extension, are carefully planned to protect the listed structure. The monolithic extension references the form of the historic town hall, creating a distinctive new architectural element without dominating the historic ensemble. The two elements, new and historic, work together to create a distinctive new civic heart for the island.