The garage, logistics rooms and holding cells are situated under the ground. The ramp to this subterranean realm is tucked away at the side of the building. A stone facade fronting the restaurant, kitchen, mailroom and administration hovers above the glazed ground floor. Above it are three extensively glazed storeys that contain other spaces that serve the courts and the state’s attornies office. This part looks more crystalline than transparent.
The voids are well proportioned and stable. The same applies to the offices. The building-services measures are nearly indiscernible. There are neither ventilation grilles nor valves. Air is supplied through a perforated ceiling and removed via slits in the wall. The facade is load-bearing. We are confident that the Supreme Court will give as much consideration to its administration of justice as the architects have to this building’s organisation, detailing and execution.
After all, the Supreme Court’s motto quotes the Dutch philosopher Hugo Grotius: “Where judicial settlement fails, war begins.
The government will rent the privately financed building for a period of thirty years. Its design is universal enough that, if necessary, it could be converted to another use one day. Then the bronze sculptures will be taken off their bases and transported to a new location.
