Law Courts

The law courts of Caen were originally designed by Christian Hauvette’s studio, and are now revised by Baumschlager Eberle together with Atelier Pierre Champenois, a former partner of Christian Hauvette.

An orthogonal pattern constitutes the base for the internal organisation of the law courts. The main rooms are adja­cent to the facades and the corridors throughout the building always end up at the facades, resulting in good lighting and comfortable working areas. The circular centre spans all 5 floors and it is the heart of the law courts: a landmark and a parameter for the interior area. A horizontal band highlights the first floor where the court rooms are located. In so doing, this new law courts communicate a message both to its users and to pedestrians: transparency, stringent shape and essential architectural means.

The project wants to offer both high comfort to the users and opti­mal energy performance. The passive and active strategies ensure low energy consumption thanks to a very compact volume, a double skin facade system and a bioclimatic atrium which helps to reduce heat loss while increasing thermal inertia. This project is part of the Ministry of Justice’s goals to provide the courts a contemporary environment, corresponding to the current requirements of functionality, safety and serenity, while providing optimal public reception conditions.

Law Courts in Caen, France
Program: public administration building
Architects: Baumschlager Eberle
Partner: Atelier d’architecture Pierre Champenois
Project leader: Anne Speicher
Team: Charlotte Chebassier, Benjamin Grousselas, Jean-Marie Lesène, Marc-Antoine Servella, Mihaela Stanescu
Client: Ministère de la Justice, APIJ
Landscape: Sempervirens paysagist
Energy: Egis Concept – Elioth
Site area: 9,000 sqm
Built surface: 5,800 sqm
Completion: 2015