Police station

The Vaals Police Station is based on a reflection on the relationship between architecture and landscape, a trait common to a number of other works, and yet particularly central in the design of this building. The role of the landscape is present not only in the relationship between the building and the site topography, but also in the articulation presence of the ramps and other elements of mobility and access, and the construction of the visual directions as well. The police station seems therefore to be primarily structured according to a sequence of movements and views. The design consciously stresses the ethereal character of the unit, discouraging the gap created between police officers and the public, and also bringing different materials side by side in complete harmony. The construction of the whole from the three connecting 'boxes' is meant to strengthen the lightness of the building. The public pedestrian path that traverses the entire length of the complex leads passers-by out of the city but not without first drawing them closer to the kennels, the prison block, the reception and the entrance. Each of the three boxes that form the complex whole is constructed out of different materials: zinc, wood and concrete. The public path is linked to the zinc volume that houses the detention cells, the interrogation rooms and the police cap display room. The wooden structure not only links the two other structures together into a complex whole but also houses the administrative and technical spaces. The concrete volume is designed to house the work and meeting areas of the police.