A scale, symbol of justice, works as an inspirational motive for our proposal.
The dual composition of this figure formed by a hanging plate in perfect balance and a support from where it hangs, suggests the volume and the functioning of the building,
The base of the scale is a spiral; strong and powerful, it emerges from the ground with strength and contains those areas where justice is administrated: the court rooms.
The plate that hangs from the main support contains the rest of the uses where justice is decided and processed: the judges offices.
To get an even more dramatic effect in this gesture, the uses related to the public reception are hidden one level below the terrain so that the visitors can anticipate the main entrance only by an exterior curved ramp that softly descends to the access level.
This division of the program in three parts (court rooms, judges offices and public reception) is perfectly reflected in the building’s volume.
The gesture of unifying the court rooms in a unique internal space makes it easy for the visitors to understand the functioning of the whole complex.
From the main hall of the building, located in a level sunk into the ground, the visitor is able to visualize the space of court rooms that pass in a spiral creating a great atrium illuminated from above.
The ramp allows a fluid public circulation and is supported in three circular cores of elevators.
Behind the court rooms another circular ramp contains the restricted circulation where the judges, the protected witnesses and the arrested circulate.
This spiral connects in strategic points from the main cores with the offices disc by another three bridges that cross the empty space between.
In this way, public and private circulations are perfectly differentiated, permitting the visitors access to the judge offices only by a controlled manner.
The evacuation of the building in case of fire is resolved by a pair of ramps (public and restricted) that are located at both sides of the court rooms, which are considered as protected corridors.
The proposed structure responds to this concept: concrete screens emerge between the judge courts and support the spiral ramp and a metal suspends the offices floors.
Definitely, a just concept for a building that is also faithful to its principles…
