Extension of the District Court
Urban Design
The extension integrates harmoniously between the historic, listed buildings dating from 1805 and 1890 and is clearly subordinate to the existing structures through its recessed positioning and low overall height. The existing buildings remain perceptible as independent, freestanding volumes.
At the same time, the extension forms an identity-defining new address and a central point of orientation within the ensemble, serving as a connecting element between the buildings.
The existing structure has been preserved true to the original and the historic buildings have been refurbished in close coordination with the heritage authorities.
The contemporary extension aligns itself with the existing building lines and the boundaries of the confined site. At the same time, the building volume adopts the site’s topographical height development through organization in a split-level typology. While the extension is perceived as a single-storey joint element from the street side, the other side opens up toward the green space of the Jordan Park with two storeys.
Interventions in the biotope are avoided, the existing tree population is largely preserved and supplemented.
Design
The functional areas of the district court are thematically assigned to the buildings. Non-public office and administrative uses are accommodated in the existing buildings, while all public functions are located in the extension.
Visitors enter through the security checkpoint at the main entrance and proceed into the centrally located foyer, which serves as an orientation point as well as a waiting and lounge area with integrated Citizen Services. The listed façades of the existing buildings remain perceptible within the internal areas.
Offset by half a storey in a split-level typology, the extension contains a total of five courtrooms, which are orientated toward the adjacent park landscape with generous floor-to-ceiling glazing.
Construction
Both formally and structurally, the new building is designed to be detached from the existing buildings in order to enable a fabric-sensitive and economical implementation as well as phased construction. By positioning the new building between the existing structures and integrating it into the terrain, a favorable surface-area-to-volume ratio and a low degree of land sealing are achieved.
At the same time, the above-ground building volume and façade areas are minimized.
The new building is designed to be restrained, timeless, and calming. The materiality of the existing buildings was deliberately not adopted in order to strengthen the solitary character of the historic structures and to formally distinguish the new building from them. The extension thus becomes a “joint element” between the listed buildings.
The façade consists of suspended, large-format metal panels with a textured embossing.
Inside the building, contrasting wall claddings are placed in front of concrete walls; in combination with linear lighting elements, these clearly guide movement through the building.
Views into the green space and glazing within the split-level typology ensure good orientation and create a bright, transparent atmosphere.
