New Courthouse at El Ejido

The courthouse at El Ejido has a trapezoid floor plan (47 m × 55/26 m) and comprises two distinct volumes that are structurally connected at the basement level and by the footbridges on the upper storeys. A third trapezoid unit featuring a glazed curtain wall facade cantilevers 8 m off the main facade of the front volume. This facade is a structural diaphragm wall, constituted by nine rows of vertical precast concrete members separated by horizontal cast-in-place, self-compacting concrete chords. The location of the courthouse in a seismic area and the small number of horizontal supports for the facade make this wall potentially vulnerable. The high risk, in particular, during construction required careful planning based on a detailed analysis of the interaction between the structure and the ancillary resources used to build it