Page 137 - AIT1218_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Jorge Vidal, ES-Bar ce lona
Grundriss obere Ebene • Floor plan Upper Level
Grundriss untere Ebene • Floor plan Lower Level
Bauherr • Client Colegio de Pro curadores, ES-Barcelona
Standort • Location Ciutat de la Jus tícia, ES-Barcelona
Nutzfläche • Floor space 410 m 2
Fotos • Photos José Hevia Blach, ES-Barcelona
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More infos on page 162
BAR ASSOCIATION
IN BARCELONA
Two office levels in Barcelona's judicial district accom-
modate the service areas and back office of the regional
bar association. Architect Jorge Vidal gave the rooms a
clear and functional structure with simplest means. In
addition, he created a new internal circulation layout
and connected the two levels via generous airspaces.
Strong colour surfaces round off the design concept.
C iutat de la Justícia, the judiciary city actually seems a bit surreal.
The judicial district is located in the south of Barcelona. At the
point where the city by the sea merges into a mass of commercial buil-
dings, consumer markets, gas stations, and highway access roads,
David Chipperfield Architects realized an ensemble between 2002 and
2009, which comprising of eight monumental administrative buildings.
The different colours and the loose urban grouping of the buildings
create a strange contrast to the monotony of the concrete façades with
their uncompromising grids behind which all the administrative facili-
ties of Catalonia's judicial system are brought together on a total floor
area of 240,000 square metres. The institutions located here also inclu-
des the branch office of the local bar association. The responsibilities
of the association comprise the legal support and advice of its mem-
bers as well as the representation of their interests vis-à-vis politics and
society. The service areas as well as the back office of the bar associa-
tion occupy two levels, which were recently redesigned by architect
Jorge Vidal from Barcelona. In deliberate contrast to Chipperfield's pre-
tentious concrete architecture, the interior design conceived by Vidal is
based on a functional spatial framework, vibrant colours as well as
simple and inexpensive materials. The main entrance to the business
premises is located on the upper level, directly via the central plaza of
the Ciutat de la Justícia. Inside the branch office, an elongated counter
welcomes the visitors. Functionally, the counter serves both as a front
desk and as a consulting counter. At the rear, the counter area is enclo-
sed by a partition wall made of wood, which functions as a wall cabi-
net that is accessible from both sides. On the one hand, it shields two
closed off boxes for confidential consultations and, on the other hand,
the actual back office of the chamber. On the lower level, which also
has a ground-level access due to a height difference in the terrain, there
is a small lecture hall, a conference room, and the office kitchen. New,
spacious voids create several visual relationships, while the inserted
concrete staircase connects the two levels physically.
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