Headquarters of the Directorate General of the Regional Police Force
Project: Headquarters of the Directorate General of the Regional Police Force.
Architects: Joaquín Fernández Madrid and Pedro R. Iglesias Pereira.
Date: 1992-1994
Location: Rúa de Oslo.
The police headquarters are located on a plot at the top of the Fontiñas Estate, one of Compostela's new neighbourhoods, which is about the same size as the city's historical quarter. The building makes use of the conditions of the terrain, with a steep slope, to resolve its programme with two contrasted volumes: a single-storey plinth, surrounding a square courtyard, and a rectangular prism, placed in the highest part of the terrain, on top of the plinth-building.
The two pieces, with the counterpoint of a slender telecommunications tower made of white metal, establish a dialogue between opposites. The plinth is solid and blind, covered in stone and open towards the courtyard, which is hidden from the street from all angles. The prism, placed at the highest point of the plot, on top of the plinth, has a light aspect, finished in grey metal with numerous openings. This volume is all that is perceived by casual observers, with the building being reduced to this light building. This project decision simplifies the image of the police headquarters, hiding a substantial part of its spaces and transforming all of its organisation richness into the simplified image of a light prism on top of a solid plinth.
From the building's main entrance it is possible to understand, after passing the access control, the complex's spatial layout. From the lobby we can see the courtyard, the walkways around its perimeter and the stairs and lifts, which lead to the metallic prism's upper floors.
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Headquarters of the Directorate General of the Regional Police Force
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