The relocation of the police station to the edge of the city will give a
strong impulse to the future development of the harbour site. The judicious
positioning and dimensioning of its compact, floating office volume ensures
that it fits in with the structure and scale of the former harbour area.
The entrance to the building is organized on two
levels.The ground floor, which accommodates all public
functions, is a welcoming, open structure.At basement level, the inner courtyard functions
as an operational link between the logistics complex, the detention complex,
cloakrooms and technical spaces.Raising the offices of the administration
complex above ground level in a white, compact volume safeguards the quality of
the vast open space of the port area.The fact that an extended part of the program
was executed belowground ensures that the cornice connects up with the
construction height of neighbouring buildings, allowing the new police station
to become a link between two existing scales: the harbour infrastructure and
the residential architecture.
Creating a sustainable design for a
high-quality, comfortable environment required an integrated approach to the
new police station, to ensure that a healthy, comfortable indoor climate was
achieved while expending a minimal use of energy and material. This has
resulted in an E-level of 30 points, making the Bruges police station one of
the most sustainable government buildings in Belgium to date.
Credits
Architects: Beel & Achtergael Architecten
(http://www.achtergael.be)
Team: Lieven Achtergael, Isabelle
Dierickx, Pietter Lansens, Tom Mockett, Jeffrey Berghman, Rein Bultynck, Sofie
Philips, Kris Broidioi, Steve Salembier, Vincent De Keyser, Ida Lievens
Structural, MEP and acoustical engineering: Technum
(http://www.technum.be)
Contractors: Wyckaert (http://www.wyckaert.eu),
Wycor (http://www.wycor.eu)
Client: City council of Brugge
Location: Brugge, Belgium
Procedure: competition
Date: 2010-2013
Surface: 11.500m²
Photography: Filip Dujardin
(http://www.filipdujardin.be)