Lively Palencia Civic Center Rehabilitated from Dingy Prison in Spain

Located in northwestern Spain, the airy Palencia Civic Center is comprised of four pavilions organized around a giant central hall. <a href="http://exit-architects.com/">Exit Architects</a> transformed the former dingy prison into a bright cultural icon by installing a series of giant cylindrical light wells that bring in an abundance of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_light">natural light</a>. Much of the existing structure and materials were left standing and augmented with zinc and semiopaque glass.

This 19th century building used to be a prison

The brick building is comprised of four wings

The entire structure is organized around a central hall

Making the building far less dour, light wells have been incorporated into the building

The cylindrical tubes extend from the skylights all the way to the interior floor

Photographer Fernando Guerra has done a fantastic job of capturing the ambience of the new space

A lot of the original materials have been retained in the new building

The Palencia Civic Center is now an iconic, uplifting space in the community

A glass encased pavilion provides a bright link between the city and the interior

The former cell block has been converted into a light-filled library and reading room!