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Manresa Courts

Manresa Courts

This new court building has been built on the southern edge of the old centre of Manresa, on the edge of the topographical drop, coinciding with the old city walls, which separates the city from the course of the Cardener river.

The project can be interpreted as the interplay of two simple solid forms with the rocky walls on the southern edge of the city: a main body, rotund and perfect, designed to be seen from a distance, with a lower and more elongated body, designed for short distances, touching the urban fabric, with a large gap, an intermediate and ceremonial space between the city and the building.

The layout of the building in volumes which are tangential to the walls follows a natural logic, the same as can be seen in the rest of the buildings and roads in the surrounding area.

The simplicity of the massing seemed interesting, which has been maintained in the composition and in the finishes of the skin. The composition of the façades avoids the small programme and seeks a higher order that helps to enhance the massing. The very sober interplay of the materials suggested here seeks to enhance the symbolism inherent in the courthouse.

The north and north-east façades, facing the old town, have been clad with artificial stone using the ventilated façade system; the south and south-east façades have a double façade, with an outer skin, consisting of the artificial stone lattice, and an inner skin, with a traditional treatment. The function of the lattice is to act as a filter, both visually and from solar radiation in the hottest months, without significant loss of visibility. The central body, which houses the public vertical communications core, has a glass curtain wall enclosure.

Type of project

Offices, fittings and facilities

Year

2005-2009

Surface area

15.544 m2

Collaborators

Pamias (facilities design), Carles Romea (structural design), CTS (scale model)

Customer

Department of Justice, Infrastructure (Departament de Justicia, Infraestructures)

Location

Manresa, Barcelona

Photo

Antoni Sala