Police House Knokke-Heist

For Lokale Politie Damme / Knokke-Heist, META designed a new police station at a strategically visible location along the Natiënlaan, between Knokke and Westkapelle. The building positions itself as a clear and autonomous volume within the green-blue landscape of ’t Walletje, forming a new public anchor within the urban fabric.

Central to the design is the ambition to organise all services as much as possible on a single floor. This choice strengthens internal collaboration, ensures clear circulation, and results in a compact and legible building. The architecture is expressive yet restrained: an all-sided volume without a front or back, with equally articulated façades that emphasise its public character.

The police house integrates all functions — from visitor flows to logistics and secure circulation — within one coherent whole. Public, operational, and secured zones are clearly separated, without compromising transparency or quality of use. The raised plinth and carefully considered positioning provide natural security and a clear address towards the surroundings.

The architectural concept is based on a distinct composition of a solid base and a lighter upper structure. The robust, semi-sunken plinth anchors the building and accommodates the more enclosed functions, while the lighter, recessed upper volume lifts and refines the overall form. The result is a balanced appearance: solid at its base, open and transparent towards its context.

Particular attention was given to workplace comfort and sustainability. The building offers a contemporary and pleasant working environment with optimal daylight penetration and high-performance technical systems, in line with META’s 'construction-is-finishing' principle. The surrounding landscape is extensively depaved and greened, providing space for water buffering and biodiversity. The result is a police building that is not only functional and secure, but also sustainably embedded in its context.

With this police house, META proposes a recognisable and future-oriented operational base — a building that combines presence with neutrality, sobriety, efficiency, and social responsibility.