Foster + Partners designs symbolic buildings

Architect firm Foster + Partners has revealed its design for the first two buildings, the Regional Appeal Courts and the High Court, on the new campus of Justice in Madrid. The QS firm has not yet been specified.

As the largest single site dedicated to justice in Europe, the campus will reinvent the judicial process in the region by fully integrating its many existing buildings.

Chief architect Norman Foster said: “It is an honour to be working on a project of such symbolic importance for Spain. The new justice buildings will be a celebration of democracy, justice and environmentally responsible design.”

Foster + Partners’ designs promises to promote the values of transparency, accountability and democracy that drive the overall concept for the scheme, acting as a touchstone for further development on the site.

Following the masterplan, the two distinct circular volumes of the larger Audiencia Provincial (Regional Appeals Court) and the smaller Tribunal Superior de Justicia (High Court) establish a dynamic relationship, and are linked by an open public plaza.

Environmentally, both buildings are efficiently oriented to minimise unwanted solar gain, while allowing natural daylight inside.

Situated adjacent to the new Terminal 4 of Barajas Airport, the Campus will be well served by public transport links.