ministerio público

full scope architecture

tropical climate

MOA 2023 honorable mention

the unidad metropolitana del ministerio público presented a unique challenge: the rehabilitation of a 1958 landmark building to accommodate a complex 2,600 m² program that included offices, public attention areas, and forensic laboratories. with a budget of approximately 10 million usd, the project required a careful balance between preserving the character of a historic civic structure and reorganizing its interior to respond to the operational needs of a national institution.

the existing envelope could not be modified, which meant design value had to be created through circulation efficiency, spatial hierarchy, and the integration of new uses within the limitations of the historic shell. our team restructured flows between public, semi-public, and restricted areas, optimizing connections between offices and laboratories while maintaining the hierarchical organization requested by the client.

although energy strategies were limited by the impossibility of altering the façade or introducing new systems, we ensured that the traditional louvers—an emblematic feature of the 1958 design—retained their functional and cultural role. at the urban scale, the intervention extended beyond the building itself with the renovation of sidewalks and the addition of tree pits, improving accessibility and the surrounding public realm.

this project demonstrates entrópica’s capacity to work in high-budget public sector contexts under strict regulatory and programmatic constraints. while design freedom was limited, the honorable mention at the 2023 mejores obras de arquitectura awards highlights the architectural value of our approach in complex civic projects. for developers and institutions, it shows our ability to resolve large-scale programs within heritage structures while navigating difficult clients, rigid rules, and sensitive public processes.

project team

MEP - gabriel garzón díaz

structural - román & wong asoc.