Police Station Heerlen

This police station is sited in the center of Heerlen, where it straddles multiple train tracks that bisect this small city. It consists of two separate buildings connected to one another via an existing underground passageway directly below the city's train tracks. As the police station was built on two splinters of undeveloped land that seemed to have no future use, the building is an example of urban in-fill, reactivating its surroundings due to the unexpected physical and visual connections it creates. The police station's two components are constructed of cast concrete at ground level, while ribbon windows of various width and height punctuate their façades, with each façade of one building in a continuous dialogue with the those of the other. The train tracks do not affect the usage of either building; this is because of the underground passageway, which allows the trains to seemingly barrel through both buildings, which introduces movement and speed to otherwise static office spaces. Zinc-clad volumes rise three stories from the concrete bases, which visually entwines the two entities. The public entrance is located on the southern edge of the southern building–directly adjacent to the city's main train station–while employee parking is located on the western edge of the northern building. As the police station's site is surrounded by concrete walls that mirror those of its base, and as its two buildings are physically separated yet connected underground, the project is an injection of continuity–reflecting the transparent approachability of the Dutch police–in the center of Heerlen.

Location
Stationstraat 13
6411 NH Heerlen
the Netherlands

Program
Office

Size
9.400 m2

Date of design
1994

Date of completion
1999

Project team
Wiel Arets, Pauline Bremmer, Richard Welten

Collaborators
Pedro Anão, Buro Hoen bv, Dominic Papa, Ralph Blättler, Delphine Clavien, Paulus Egers, Kees Lemmens

Client
Politie Regio Limburg-Zuid

Consultants
Veldhoen Facility Consultants BV, Aronsohn Raadgevend Ingenieurs BV, Huygen Installatie Adviseurs BV, Cauberg-Huygen Raadgevende Ingenieurs BV, M&M Bouw Sittard BV