REHABILITATION OF FORMER PRISON OF PALENCIA SPAIN AS CULTURAL CENTER BY
EXIT ARCHITECTS
REHABILITATION
OF FORMER PRISON OF PALENCIA SPAIN AS CULTURAL CENTER BY
EXIT
ARCHITECTS
The former
Palencia Provincial Prison complex was created at the end of the XIX century,
built with brick bearing walls following the “neomudéjar” style, and composed mainly
of four two-storey wings and some other with one storey. On this building was
planned a comprehensive refurbishment to transform the former use and convert
it into a center that promotes the social and cultural activity in this part of
the town.
Our proposal
intends to convert the former prison into a meeting place, recovering some of
the old spaces, and creating at the same time new structures that make possible
the new planned activities. It is a project that respects the existing
building, which is given a contemporary, lighter appearance, and where the
natural light will play a key role.
With this aim
the main two-storey wings have been refurbished, emptying their interior and
placing a new independent structure to bear the new floors and roofs. Besides,
between the main wings have been built new connecting pavilions, which form the
new complex perimeter and give it a modern and friendly aspect.
To introduce
the light in the building we had to remove the old covered with tiles which
were in very poor condition, and have been replaced by others of zinc that open
large skylights which introduce light into the open halls of the Center.
The entire
building is organized around a great hall that connects the 4 pavilions of the
former prison. It is a diaphanous space based only on a few mild cylindrical
courtyards of glass that illuminate and provide the backbone of the stay. Due
to its central location in relation to the pavilions, this space acts as a
nerve center and distributor of users, across the Pavilion access and
reception, directed towards the rest of the areas of the Centre.
The hall
gives way to the lateral pavilions where the auditorium and various music and
art classrooms are. On the upper floor, under a large glass skylights, are two
multi-purpose areas dedicated to more numerous groups.
In the area
where is the cells of prisoners were, we placed the library. The reading rooms
are articulated around a central space of high-rise under a lantern of
octagonal shape that acts as a distributor for the different areas and that
arrives vertical communication and control areas and offices.
Finally,
access to the Centre are carried out through a very light and bright glazed
perimeter that pretends to be a filter between the city and the activity of the
interior. A structural steel beam travels abroad tying areas glazed with the
former factory walls getting an alleged industrial air.
The use of
metallic materials in all intervention, as the zinc in facades and roofs, glass
and uglass in the lower bodies and skylights and the aluminium lattices as
light filters also contributes to this.
Rehabilitation of Former Prison of Palencia as Cultural Center's photographs had taken by Fernando Guerra & Sergio Guerra.
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EXIT ARCHITECTS
JOSE MARIA TABUYO
MARIO SANJUAN
MARIO SANJUAN
ANGEL SEVILLANO
Exit Architects integrates the personal and professional
experience of an architects team gathered round their common interest in
developing a people-aimed architecture. We intend our architecture to play a
role in citizens’ everyday life, making them feel and experience through materials
and spaces.
Exit Architects try to create “alive” buildings, inserted in
society, and spaces where users share experiences and interact. We believe it
is possible to integrate in each project the technical rationality and the
emotion at architectural spaces, to combine the construction precision and the
intuition, to unite functionality and beauty.
We believe it that is possible to integrate in each project
the technical rationality and the emotion at architectural spaces, to combine
the construction precision and the intuition, to unite functionality and beauty.
Our work seeks the optimum integration of all the
circumstances around each project, with special focus on the client needs, the
relation between buildings and city, the sustainability and the intention of
producing contemporary architecture.
http://www.exit-architects.com/01%20ESTUDIO/exit-perfil-EN.html
EXIT ARCHITECTS TEAM
Exit Architects is an architects team created to integrate
the knowledge and experience of its members, in order to face their
professional work with the maximum soundness and capacity.
The team’s philosophy is to develop each project in a
personalized way, aware of the uniqueness of each client, identified with his
needs and objectives, and adapted to the specific circumstances of each place.
Our experience is supported by more than 85.000 m2 and 79
million euros of designed and built work in the last ten years, mainly housing
and public buildings.
This baggage has provided us a deep and realistic
understanding of the whole construction process, and the ability to make both
top quality projects as well as an effective management of all the people
involved in them (property, contractors, authorities, ….)
We are as well involved in various collaborative initiatives
with other international architectural practices in order to broaden our scope
of work and open us to new experiences.
http://www.exit-architects.com/01%20ESTUDIO/exit-equipo-EN.html
