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Architects: Explorations Architecture
- Area: 1858 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Florent Michel, Michel Denancé
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Lead Architects: Explorations Architecture
Text description provided by the architects. An urban and landscape anchor. Situated in Épernay, the capital of Champagne, the police station is located on the outskirts of the town, at the heart of a site dominated by vineyards. It inserts itself within the confines of an old military barracks complex, of which numerous vestiges remain, and cohabits with other amenities of stature such as a secondary school and a convention centre. The implantation of the building takes advantage of a site constrained by its sloped topography, its irregular shape and the presence of polluted soil. From these constraints come a unique pentagonal morphology, which structures the project and responds to its environment.
An architecture between openness and protection. Perched at a height, the police station distinguishes itself as a visible and identifiable landmark. It embodies a strong duality between openness and security; A window display to the town: a completely glazed reception hall, warm and accessible, signals the entrance and invites the public; An optimised internal organisation: organised around a vast interior courtyard, the building ensures natural security and functional fluidity.
The use of materials and reflections reinforces this duality: transparency and welcoming on one hand, protection and discretion on the other. A subtle and high-performance envelope. The exterior envelope, uniform and continuous on the five sides of the pentagon, adorns itself with a perforated metallic cover. This subtly nuanced measure regulates the entering light and replies to the programmatic demands of « seeing without being seen ». It bestows upon the building a monolithic silhouette, all while melting into the landscape through the use of reflections. Contrasting with this mineral exterior, the interior courtyard unfolds with an envelope in timber, a warm and comforting material, which favours a calm atmosphere for the users.
Integrated passive security. The implantation at height and the landscaping treatment both participate in a passive protection of the whole site. The service courtyard, at the functional heart of the project, ensures the rigorous separation of flows. On the ground floor, the courtyard organises the secured entrances and service vehicle parking; On the first floor, it offers an exterior space for relaxation in direct connection with staff spaces. The entirety of the project rests on a rigorous management of circulation and interactions, guaranteeing an optimum security without relinquishing an asserted urban presence.
