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.
