Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law

Client:
Department of Public Works, Queensland Government

Location:
Brisbane, QLD Australia

Completion:
2012

Size:
64,000m²

Project Value:
$570m

Design Partner
Guymer Bailey Architects

Contact:
Patrick Clifford

The Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law building is a radical departure from traditional court design. It exhibits a high degree of transparency and lightness appropriate to the expression of contemporary justice and to its sub-tropical locale. The new courthouse co-locating the Supreme Court and District Court is the only one of its kind in Australia, providing significant operating efficiencies through the use of shared facilities, including vehicular access through the existing Magistrates Court complex.

This 64,000m² courthouse, built on the Queensland Place site, bounded by George, Roma and Turbot Streets in Brisbane’s CBD houses 39 courtrooms covering both civil and criminal jurisdictions, chambers for 69 judges, a library and courts administration facilities.

The design maximises the use of daylighting to all the courts, public waiting spaces and offices through a sophisticated system of glazed walls and layered screens which surround the perimeter of the building, and vary according to the internal functional requirements of the adjacent interior space. The result is a light, open courthouse comprised of generously scaled and simply detailed internal spaces of dignity and presence.

The inclusion of internal and external gardens and courtyards throughout the building responds to the character of the sub-tropical environment and promotes healthy workplaces.

The design also contributes positively to the urban realm of the city, creating a major new public square for Brisbane, and completing and defining both the existing powerful George Street civic axis and the new Tank Street pedestrian axis.

Sustainability measures include water harvesting and recycling, passive solar design, recycled building materials, low energy air cooling systems, and the use of the double glass cavity as an integral component of the air climate control system.

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The building communicates a calm, rational, reassuring atmosphere, managing to hit exactly the right note for the twenty-first century, abandoning the pomp and grandeur of past centuries. Respect is demanded, but also given to all parties involved in the often-traumatic processes.