The new Courthouse replaced the former and outdated judicial complex in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam Courthouse is notable for being energy efficient and a design that can be well sustained into the future. It is exemplary as the building exists in a stately yet open functional structure.
The building sits in the up-and-coming Zuidas district in south Amsterdam. With over 50 different courtrooms, more than 1000 staff including judges, and 50,000 square meters of area, this building is by far the biggest courthouse in the Netherlands.
This was designed and built by the consortium NACH (New Amsterdam Court House), the consortium consisted of Macquarie Capital, ABT, DVP, KAAN Architecten, Heijmans, and Facilicom. While working at the behest of the Central Government Real Estate Agency.
Law and architecture
The judicial institutions are usually optimized with functional requirements, which aim to improve productivity, quality, and performance. The Courthouse’s design principle addresses the judicial process as a public matter. With keeping in mind, the ethical responsibility of responding to the quality of public spaces. Where different people, with different needs, come to this building for the administration of justice.
As a 50-meter-high building it still creates an inviting persona for public discourse, a vast square in front of the building gets an unobstructed view of the lower floor through the large windows. Passing through the elegant canopy on the main square, the visitors enter the ground floor central foyer, which has reception desks and a cafeteria. The spaciously designed foyers accommodate over 800 to 1000 visitors per day, the robed lawyers with their clients, the reporters, the defendants, and others. As we go up, the courtrooms unfold, and surrounding them are the spacious foyers, that are welcomed by a sea of space and light.
There is always a view of the city from inside the building, as it has large windows that offer multiple views of its surroundings. While patios are flooded with greenery and light. The courthouse’s majority of large openings are in the below with being most open and including public areas that are directly connected to the public square, and it progressively becomes smaller and tailored to the individual’s scale as we go higher, since the nature of work becomes more private and confidential.
The building is planned to function effortlessly, as The Courthouse is divided horizontally into three larger sections. It is done such that the functions are separate and allow for efficient circulation of employees, judges, and visitors. The higher floors are connected through a grand circular staircase, which leads its way to the offices and judge’s chambers, which are set around green indoor and outdoor courtyards. Meanwhile, the defendants’ cell is located under the building with separate drop-off and pick-up ramps.
The public areas; the square, parts of the façade, and the entrance hall are cladded in natural stone. The choice was made not only for aesthetics but also for its durability and resilience for long-term maintenance. There are dark vertical elements added to the façade to further emphasize the aesthetics of the structure. The high steel columns constitute the main load-bearing structure. A low-rising ramp from the square almost seamlessly blends the city with the Courthouse.
The higher levels of the Courthouse are connected through the grand circular staircase that majestically stands as giving way to the judges’ chambers and offices, which are enclosed around the green courtyards.
The Courthouse also has an artwork by Nicole Eisenman Jesse Wine and Femmy Otten, entitled ‘Love or Generosity’ which is installed right next to the reflective pool by the public square. It symbolizes the act of gatekeeping, while the sculpture wears modern attire. Which hold the meaning of wisdom, strength, patience, progress, and courage. The stature appears to have a small owl, an arrow, and an acorn, which represent the resilience of the society.
Efficiency is the keyword
As the future transformation is already taken into account while designing, the anticipated transformation is achieved by flexibility in structure, technical details, and spatial organization.
The energy demanded by the building is usually at the start of the construction and when the building is demolished. Thus, to make a building that lasts as long as it can, it should have social recognition and identity in the community and its users. The square was designed for this specific reason, the design sometimes goes beyond what an architect envisions. The square was frequently visited by skateboarders. Initially, they were cast out, but then later they established some ground rules like not applying grease on the benches to preserve the lawyers’ suits and from that moment on the skaters were welcomed again.
Reference list:
KAAN Architecten (2021) A building that sets a new standard – how we built the biggest courthouse in the Netherlands, KAAN Architecten. Available at: https://kaanarchitecten.com/new-standard-courthouse/ (Accessed: 02 March 2024).
Pintos, P. (2021) Courthouse amsterdam / Kaan Architecten, ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/960911/courthouse-amsterdam-kaan-architecten (Accessed: 02 March 2024).
Kaan Architecten designs grand circular staircase in the Netherlands largest courthouse (no date) www.surfacesreporter.com. Available at: https://surfacesreporter.com/articles/102629/kaan-architecten-designs-grand-circular-staircase-in-the-netherlands-largest-courthouse (Accessed: 02 March 2024).
