Betar

Barreiro’s Palace of Justice

• Location: Barreiro, Portugal
• Solution: Buildings
• Type: Civic, social and religious
• Architecture: Oficina de Arquitectura
• Client: Ministery of Justice
• Scope: Foundations and structure
• Area: 12700m2
• Project: 1996
• Construction: 1997-2000
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The building of the Barreiro's Palace of Justice stands out due to the relation between its geometry in plan and the existing contrast between the various volumes that constitute it, not only by the number of floors, but also by the diversity of the facade elements that characterize each one of the volumes. It was subdivided into three structural blocks, separated by expansion joints, in order to standardize them by volume.

The structural block of greater dimension and projection, which coincides with the distribution of the court's hearing rooms, has a structure consisting of composite steel-concrete columns in the basement and, on the elevated floors, columns composed of two metallic “I” or “H” forming crosses, which is related to reasons of plastic expression, regarding the use of steel as the prime material, and for reasons of resistance, regarding the fact that they are composite columns.

The standard solution of the pavements consists of voided flat slabs. Post-tensioning solutions with non-adherent cables were used in the slabs of the courtrooms.

The level of the entrance to the court has double height and is united, at the level of the 1st floor, by a grid of metallic structure. The lanterns that cover the various interior courtyards are also made of stepped metal structures.