Open Penitenciary Centre of Tarragona

The project is located in the city of Tarragona, on a site owned by the Departament de Justícia, which is located in an area of urban expansion that starts from the Plaça de les Corts Catalanes, adjacent to the Francolí river park.

Volumetrically, the penitentiary building has two bodies arranged in the longitudinal direction of the site and one on the ground floor perpendicular to them as an access. This arrangement of volumes of different heights allows the creation of three courtyards, which allow for the correct natural lighting of the building’s rooms.

The general envelope of the Open Centre generates a light, textured volumetric element that rests on a dark plinth. This strategy is translated at a constructive level into two differentiated materialities: exposed brickwork on the ground floor and curved ceramic pieces in the upper body.

Co-Authors: b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos & JAAS Architects
Collaborators: BAC Engineering Consultancy Group (Structural Engineers), Joan A.González Gou (MEP)
Photographer: Adrià Goula