District Court Competition 1, Jerusalem
A design competition for 65,000 sqm new Distric Court complex, located near Independence Park, Jerusalem City Center. The program contains dozens of functions, several court instances, strict seperation of circulation routes (public, judges, prisoners), crowd control design and security measures, offices and underground parking.
Our proposal was to spread the large building like a crescent opening to the Park, while all public circulation is on this glass facade.Thus avoiding the routine claustrophobic feel of long corridors and dark lobbies. Our design aimed at creating a distinguished building on the one hand, echoing the essence of Jerusalem stone architecture, yet with a contemporary interpretation. Thus, the long exterior envelope to the park is transparernt whike the stacked courtrooms are built of stone, with the metaphor of “Justice Pillars”.