Madrid Civil Courts Of Justice [madrid, Spain]
URBAN STRATEGY
Due to the high demand for office space within the new masterplan that contains the Civil Courts of Justice, public space within the
development has shifted from being a potential destination to becoming residual, fragmented and dispersed.
In desperate need for refocusing, so as to create a better collective experience, the design for the Civil Courts of Justice inserts
public space in its core - integrating it by connecting it with the campuss public circulation. As a result, the Civil Court of Justice
design shifts from being a mere component of the overall system to becoming its pivoting point, serving as a reference that provides
structure and organizes the entire urban masterplan complex.
ARCHITECTURAL PROPOSAL
The formal language and architectural articulation of the design aims to break the static configuration of the surrounding buildings.
The designs soft and dynamic tectonic turns it into an immediate reference for the masterplan, without the need to exhaust maximum
building heights.
By way of horizontal shifts of its mass, a sense of elasticity is introduced into the design allowing the building to be grounded at its
elevation to the masterplan campus. This elasticity draws visitors into its interior, and permits the building to float above the ground
plain.
The envelope of the Civil Court of Justice is composed of a double-ventilated façade. The exterior layer of the facade is composed
of metallic panels which respond to environmental and program conditions. These panels shift from open to closed and from flat to
extended depending on the circumstances affecting them. It is also envisaged for the metallic panels on the Civil Courts of Justice
rooftop incorporates photovoltaic cells.
Inside the building, a spiralling semi-circular atrium is developed around the courtyard where all public space evolves. The atrium
overlooks the courtyard, which serves as instant reference point for visitors to move around the building and extends to the lower
ground floor, providing natural light to enter the court rooms at that level.