Colourful and energetically efficient police station has an ULMA ventilated facade

The building has different sustainable elements, including the ventilated facade, which achieves 49% energy consumption lower than a building of similar characteristics.

The construction of the MOLLET local police station is the result of an open tender for the construction of the central library (not yet started) and the local police station on a plot of municipal property. The project presented by Taller 9s arquitectes won the first prize.

CUSTOMIZATION AND INTEGRAL SERVICE

The authors of the project Oriol Cusidó and Irene Marzo designed the police station with a polymer concrete ventilated façade. In the words of the ULMA specialist, Maider Biain "The main characteristic of this project is that we wanted to keep the same proportion for the shutters or gaps as for the cut-outs of the facade; to achieve this, horizontal joints of 3.5 mm (standard) were used and an 8 mm joint when we wanted to mark the verticality, making the visual effect of proportion and similarity possible. The vertical joint was 5 mm. Likewise this project required very accurate marking out. Although height-wise we were able use the same format of 320 mm on all the rows, length-wise we had to adjust to what was built and therefore multiple formats were produced, between 900 and 1100 mm.”

The different colour options available in the ULMA Architectural Solutions range have succeeded in providing a colourful air to the building, an effect obtained through the metallic parasols clad with polymer concrete panel of different colours. The idea of the sunshade was to provide the opening of the facade, becoming part of it to give continuity.

According to Oriol Cusidó, the architect who designed the project, "ULMA gave us a solution which enabled us to respond to the three-way challenge: the energy improvement of the skin, the necessary guarantee of durability and the aesthetic solution for the building using the combination of joints, pieces and colours. With the same panel we solved opaque sections and shutters, which are nothing more than sections of skin that have been opened. "

The key point in the project has been the comprehensive service offered by ULMA as well as the solution to all non-standard elements such as special joints, customised formats, special colours, integration of the panel into the structure of the sunshades. Lucia Zafra, member of the technical team adds "we were able, not only to solve these elements but to give options to find a balance between the budget that was available and the architecturally desired effect".

As the architect of the project said, "We have had a very good experience with ULMA. During the project phase the on-going collaboration with the technical team at all times, allowed us to fit our project idea with the possibilities of the system and the budgetary limitations for the project.

ENERGETICALLY EFFICIENT BUILDING.

The ULMA polymer concrete ventilated facade, the vegetation cover, the installation of solar panels, the study of the glazing and the elements of solar protection, ensure that the building has an energy consumption 49% lower than that of an equivalent building.

The police station building is isolated from the street with more opaque facades which open onto a new public space, with a transparent glass facade. The workspaces are overlooking the park and have a slat system to improve light comfort. In addition, a linear skylight has been installed on the upper floor that optimizes the light entering the central bay and facilitates ventilation.

The police station is only one piece of a common project which, from the dialogue and tension between the two facilities (police station and library), helps to create a new urban space, giving continuity to the surrounding parks.

DATA SHEET:

DEVELOPER: Ajuntament de Mollet del Vallès Diputación de Barcelona
CONSTRUCTION Abolafio Construcciones
ARCHITECTS: Oriol Cusidó and Irene Marzo - Taller 9s arquitectes
BUILT SURFACE: 1,962 m2
TEXTURE: Air. Vanguard range
PANEL FORMAT: 1100-900 x 320 mm (h)
COLOURS: M18, M17, M20, M21, M22, M24, M26