We planned a building with a very clear and compact massing: a volume with a rectangular base organised around a large courtyard, three storeys high above ground and two basement storeys.
The main entrance, open to the public, is located on the north-west corner, with a façade on Av. Alfons Moré. A pedestrian ramp and a staircase lead to the access porch, one metre above the pavement at this point.
On the south façade is the service access, both for staff and vehicles: A fence provides access to a protected outdoor space with surface parking on the two floors below ground level and staff access to the south façade.
Two vertical communication cores, on the north and south façades, and a link of horizontal circulations around the courtyard organise the floors. In order to facilitate present and future layouts, the building as a whole is rigorously modulated on a 1.5 m base, which allows us to have a standard office of 3 m, parking spaces of 3 m minus pillars, etc.
Given the need for maximum privacy with respect to the exterior of the police station, we propose an exterior façade that acts as a translucent skin and protects the building from direct sight and sunlight. With this system we obtain a more abstract global image, a volume without scale, with simple and clear forms, and maximum flexibility in the office layouts. The composition of the façades avoids the small programme and seeks a higher order that helps to enhance the massing.
The public access area, protected by a porch, is completely glazed and acts as a showcase, it is the open area of the building and is intended to be shown as such. The façades of the inner courtyard, made of glass and openable, have an exposed concrete overhang that protects them from the sun and acts as a technical walkway that allows the windows to be cleaned from the outside.
The roof acts as the 5th façade, a slightly sloping, hipped roof, above a ventilated chamber and finished with sheet metal. It also acts as a support for the solar panels located horizontally, at roof level. The facilities are located in a technical volume at the south end of the building, which supports the communications tower.
We have placed the police vehicle parking and storage facilities on basement level -2. In basement level -1 we have placed the car park for vans, the area for detainees, the Shooting Gallery, Regional Archive, facilities rooms and storerooms.
On the ground floor we find the reception, the Citizen’s Advice Office, changing rooms and briefing rooms, training rooms and a rest room-canteen.
The rest of the administrative departments are located on the first and second floors.
Type of project
Offices, fittings and facilities
Year
2010 –
Surface area
10.700 m2
Collaborators
Pamias (facilities design), Carles Romea (structural design), Auladell (scale model)
Customer
Interior Ministry, Infrastructure (Departament de Interior, Infraestructures)
Location
Salt, Girona