Headquarters of the Regional Police for South Limburg

The police station is situated east of the Heerlen railway station and split into two buildings that straddle both sides of the railway tracks. Occupying thin slices of marginalised and on each side, the building volumes are contorted by the contour of the street. The main District Police office building is entered via a ramp that follows the edge of the road to arrive under a central cantilevering volume. This building also contains the restaurant; a collective function for the whole complex. The design reflects the latest developments in information technology and office management. This is achieved through the concept of the 'Lean Office' which increases the efficiency of the organisation and use of office space. In the concept employees no longer have their own office space therefore eliminating redundant space vacated as a result of external meetings. This maximises occupancy throughout the day and reduces floor area by as much as 30%. Small individual cells of 5.5m² are used only for concentrated work tasks and larger collective space is created for taks and communication.
The ambition was to create a conglomeration of volumes where the railway is no longer seen as a barrier but acts as an dynamic part of the building complex. The train is seen to move through the building. The connection between the building is physically made through the re-utilisation of an existing pedestrian tunnel. The material treatment also unites the composition, where volumes of zinc pretrude out of a 'piano nobile' of in-situ concrete. Finally the buildings are marked by large openings at the entrance level, visually connecting the two streets, the buildings, and the passing train, incorporating them into the urban conglomeration.