The new building of the law court in Balaguer is a piece of modern architecture embed in the historical center of the city.
The building of the law court in Balaguer, designed by Arquitecturia, an architectural studio based in Girona, satisfies the practical requirements of a modern office and adapts to a complex urban morphology of the site.
 

Description of the project by Arquitecturia

The Law Court of Balaguer is located at the old Quarter of the city. Balaguer is characterised by the brown-red chromatic of the geology –stone and earth- and a structure of extremely narrow and steep streets. The irregular morphology of the old quarter is well adapted to the rugged topography.

There is a balance between the strict and thigh requirements of the brief and the irregular and complex reality of the site. Inside, a regular structure organises the internal spaces and program. Outside, the alignments, porches and urban traces shape the volume. In-between inside and outside, in-between program/type and site, there is a thick space of transition that deals with privacy, intimacy and modulates natural light.

Materiality is explored to achieve a permeable architecture. From basic units, an assembly system is established that configures a new element. Industrialized elements are applied hand-craftily. The facade may seem very opaque from the distance outside, but when one gets closer inside, it becomes permeable. On the daylight, the facade is heavy and mute and at night comes it becomes lighter and permeable. Materiality is live and variable as it changes and responds to its context conditions.

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Architects
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Josep Camps · Olga Felip, Arquitecturia

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Collaborators
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Structural engineer.- GMKgrup
Consultant.- JG&Asociados SA
Quantity surveyor.- Planas Casadevall (Fase de projecto) /Alfons Pastor (Fase de construcción)
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Contractor
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Acciona SA
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Client
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Departament de Justicia de la Generalitat de Catalunya
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Dates
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Project.- 2006;
Beginning of the construction.- 2010;
Completion.- 2016
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Surface
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3874,23 sqm
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Location
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Carrer de Girona, 25600 Balaguer, Lleida. Spain
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Camps Felip Arquitecturia. Josep Camps and Olga Felip founded Arquitecturia in 2007, an architectural, landscape and design studio based in Barcelona. Their work includes the Cathedral Apse Square, the recovery of the old Ferreries market in a Cultural Center, the Museum of Energy in Ascó and Four Rivers Masterplan of Girona which aims to improve the relationship between the urban grid and the natural systems.

Arquitecturia’s work has been awarded, published and exhibited both nationally and Internationally: Barcelona, Madrid, Venice, London, Tokyo and Buenos Aires among others. Also they have lectured at the Royal Institute of British Architects_RIBA, among other institutions.

Olga Felip. studied architecture at the Superior School of Architecture of Barcelona (05). Beside her professional career she obtained the Diploma of Advanced Studies and in 2019 she lectured her PHD Thesis in Theory and History of Architecture _Cum Laude. Olga has taught at the Architectural Association of London and she has lectured at RIBA and BIArch. She is currently professor at ETSAB Barcelona.

Olga has been recognised Emerging Woman in Architecture by Architectural Journal, MAS Award in the Cultural Cathegory (Women to be followed) and Arts and Letters Award by the FPdGi (Spanish Royal foundation).

In parallel to her leading role at Camps Felip Arquitecturia, her research & teaching tasks, Olga Felip has been member of the Board of Directors of the College of Architects in Girona, being in charge of the Cultural Department. Also, Olga has been member of the Expert Committee of the Catalan Department of Land that advises on the reform of land and urban planning policies.

Josep Camps. (1975) studied architecture at the Superior School of Architecture of Barcelona (00) | Worked for Atelier AO2 of Paris (1998) and Javier Sanjosé Office (2000-2003). He has received scholarship for taking part into different exchange programs and workshops including the Intercampus Scholarship at the Universidade Caixa du Sul and the program for ‘kashbes rehabilitation’ at Marocco by the UNESCO | Camps has been professor at the Superior School of Architecture of Barcelona –UPC where he taught Studio Project V-VI and since 2005 he is profesor at the University of Girona where he is the director of Studio Project I-II together with Josep Fuses and Elisabet Capdeferro.

He has been visiting professor at the Master of Cultural Heritage Managment of the University of Girona and member of the Final. Review Jury at the School of Architecture of Alicante. Besides his teaching work he develops her thesis project. ‘Intertwining Architecture’ for the research area of Theory and Practice of Architectural Design –UPC Barcelona-. Cofounder of curatorial and design group MA!O and co-founder of the architectural studio ARQUITECTURIA.

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Olga Felip Ordis (1980) studied architecture at the Superior School of Architecture of Barcelona (2005). During her degree, she received a scholarship for taking part in different exchange programs and workshops including the IDSA+U workshop at the School of Architecture of Edinburgh, the European exchange program EAEN working at the School of Architecture of Belleville–Paris and at UCLA University -California- and the International Laboratory of Architecture and Urban Design ILAUD at UIAV – Venice | She received a scholarship for taking part at the International Congress of the Sixties Spanish Architecture and assisted at V DOCOMOMO Ibérico Congress about The GATPAC: Politics, culture and architecture on the thirties. In 2001 she assisted at the Summer School of the Architectural Association School of London. Co-founder of curatorial and design group MA!O, and co-founder of the architectural studio ARQUITECTURIA. Besides her professional career, she develops her thesis project for the research area of Theory and History of Architecture, at UPC Barcelona.

ARQUITECTURIA has worked on residential, sanitary, educational and cultural projects for both public and private sectors. The studio members studied in different European universities, still holding engagement with them, and are involved in research programmes and being in contact with innovation and research applied in the professional area. 

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