Hasta La Ideas

German studio J. Mayer H. Architects has completed a building housing a law court, university library, auditoriums and offices in the Belgian city of Hasselt (+ slideshow).

J. Mayer H. Architects collaborated with local Hasselt firms a2o-architecten and Lensºass architecten on the building, which is located on a former railway station site that is being transformed into a new urban district.

The court of justice building is divided into three separate units containing the courtrooms, student library and the office tower, which also houses a restaurant with panoramic views across the city.

The form of the tower and the pattern of perforated panels on the facade reference the hazelnut trees found in the City of Hasselt’s coat of arms.

Steel cladding on the exterior evokes the area’s industrial heritage and the influence of art nouveau on this part of Belgium.

The tree motif continues inside the building, with a veined pattern covering a wall behind the main reception desk.

J. Mayer H. recently created a temporary event space made from scaffolding at an art museum in Munich and a house in Stuttgart that resembles a dinosaur’s head – see more J. Mayer H.

Other law courts on Dezeen include SOM’s federal courthouse, which recently began construction in downtown Los Angeles, and a long, narrow courthouse building positioned amongst the brick buildings of a former tobacco factory in Venice – see more law courts.

Photography is by Bieke Claessens, except where stated otherwise.

Here’s some more information from the architects:

New Court of Justice, Hasselt, Belgium

September 13th, 2013 marks the opening of “Court of Justice” in Hasselt, designed by the architects team of J. MAYER H. Architects, a2o-architecten and Lensºass architecten. After finishing the exterior skin already in 2011, the interior was completed in spring of 2013.

The new court of justice is an open, transparent building with direct public access, combining the Court of Justice with a university library and auditoriums for the faculty of law.

In keeping with the building’s logistical requirements and safety provisions, the structure is divided into three separate units: courtrooms, the library for students and an office tower with a 64-meters-high panorama restaurant on top from which offers a panoramic view of the city of Hasselt and its surroundings.

Based on a master plan by West 8, the former railway station site has been restructured with a park, public buildings, offices and hotels, as well as urban residential blocks.

The team of J. MAYER H. Architects, Lens °Ass and a20-architecten have realized one of the two high-rise buildings, “the new court of justice”, a structure that stands as a contemporary urban landmark of the new district.

References in the design process point to both the image of the “tree”, the hazelnut trees in the City of Hasselt’s coat of arms, and steel structures in the once industrial and Art Nouveau-influenced area.

Client: n.v. SOHA (Stedelijke ontwikkelingsmaatschappij Hasselt) – Autonoom Gemeentebedrijf Hasselt + Euro Immo Star)
Architects: J. MAYER H. Architects, a2o-architecten, Lensºass architecten
Construction Company: T.H.V. Hasaletum nv (Democo nv – Cordeel nv – Interbuild nv)
Tenant: Regie der Gebouwen
User: Federale Overheidsdienst Justitie
Square Footage: 20.763 m² above-ground spaces (Offices, Meeting-Rooms, Library, Reception, Cafeteria, Court rooms) 4.694 m² Underground spaces (Archive), 3.384 m² Underground spaces Parking Lot

Construction Time: October 2008 – September 2013
Address: Parklaan, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
Project-manager: Eurostation NV

Structural Engineering: M. & A. Van Wetter BVBA
Technical Engineering: Eurostation NV
Controlling and Fire Protection: Seco CV

The post Court of Justice by
J. Mayer H. Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Photographer José Campos has sent us these photographs of the recently completed law courts in Gouveia, Portugal, by architects Barbosa & Guimarães.

Located between two parks, The Gouveia Law Courts are set upon four chunky pillars.

The courts are accessed by a wide central staircase that brings visitors from the plaza into the heart of the building.

This stairwell is open to the sky and framed by the faceted concrete walls of the surrounding building.

The registrars’ offices are located in a courtyard below this staircase.

Internally, the courtroom is naturally lit through a series of skylights and offices overlook the park to the north.

More stories about projects in Portugal on Dezeen »

More photography stories on Dezeen »

Here are some more details from the architects:

Palácio de Justiça de Gouveia 2002 – 2011

Gouveia, door for entry to the Serra da Estrela, is going to be served by new Law Courts. The land set aside for construction is located between the public gardens, at the end of the Rampa do Monte do Calvário, replacing an existing building. The project takes advantage of the demolition of the existing building, which occupied the whole of the plot, to design a new Plaza, with a scale and dignity to receive the Law Courts.

In dialogue with the granite walls that define its surroundings, the Plaza takes on the form of a bottling of stone, upon which the Law Courts rest.

The building, set on four pillars, ensures transparency and connection between the two gardens that delimit it to the north and the south.

The dignity and symbolism that a building like the Law Courts should always have is achieved at the cost of the monolithic and singular character that the volume of white concrete acquires, above all in the expression of its compact elevations, with empty spaces deeply excavated, as if suspended over the Plaza.

A staircase of generous proportions opening onto a patio honours access to the Court floor.

The lobby/foyer crosses longitudinally the entirety of the building, communicating directly with the garden to the north, establishing a relationship of closeness with the tops of the existing trees through a horizontal empty space.

In the volume, the courtroom stands out, with a set of vertical skylights that subtly light the whole space.

The registrars services, which operate independently, are installed in the filled part of the building, open to an interior patio which communicates directly with the north garden.

The project foresees a public car park, hidden under the plaza, with access from the adjacent streets.

Ficha Técnica

Local: Gouveia
Dono da obra: Instituto de gestão financeira e infraestruturas da justiça

Concurso: 2002
Projecto: 2002 – 2004
Obra: 2008 – 2011

Arquitectura: Barbosa & Guimarães, José António Barbosa, Pedro Lopes Guimarães
Colaboradores: Miguel Pimenta, Cristina Chicau, Henrique Dias, José Marques, Luís Monteiro, Paula Fonseca, Susana Machado, Teresa Aroso, Raul Andrade, Pablo Rebelo

Estabilidade e estruturas: Alberto Teixeira
Empresa construtora: José Coutinho s.a.
Instalações hidráulicas: Luis Veloso
Instalações eléctricas: Rga. Paulo Oliveira
Instalações de rede de gás: Rga . Arnaldo Monteiro
Director de obra: Rafael Luzio
Instalações de avac: Rga . Arnaldo Monteiro

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See also:

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Ciutat de la Justícia by David Chipperfield	Monitoring Center by Aires Mateus	Social Centre by Imago