Courthouse And Public Square

Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott

COURTHOUSE AND PUBLIC SQUARE

Christian Kronaus, KNOWSPACE: Christian Kronaus + Erhard An-He Kinzelbach

ARCHITECTS
Christian Kronaus, KNOWSPACE: Christian Kronaus + Erhard An-He Kinzelbach

PROJECT TEAM
Sigrid Müller-Welt, Lukas Staudinger, Manuela Wind, Jakub Smagacz

MANUFACTURERS
TECU®

GENERAL PLANNER
ARGE Vasko+Partner Ingenieure and Kronaus Kinzelbach Architekten

AREA
2633.0 m2

CLIENT
BIG Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft m.b.H.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Thomas Ott

YEAR
2011

LOCATION
Sankt Polten, Austria

CATEGORY
Courthouse

Text description provided by architect.

The project resulted from an open competition won by Architects Christian Kronaus and Erhard An-He Kinzelbach in collaboration with Vasko+Partner Engineers.

The courthouse St. Pölten (Lower-Austria) asked for a building extension to house the higher regional court, district court and the state proscecutor’s office.

Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott

In addition, it required a redesign of the representative public square in front of the historic courthouse building with a new parking garage underneath.

At an urban scale, the new building closes the gap between the existing courthouse and the neighboring prison. The former is a landmarked building with three floors.

A key challenge in the design of the extension was to find a solution that would respect the historical context and coherently connect old and new while, at the same time, treat the new building as a structure in its own right, rather than as a mere annex.

Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott

The mediation between old and new does not only function in formal terms but also on a spatial and organizational level.

In particular, a system was developed that efficiently connects the three storeys of the courthouse building with the five storeys in the new building while, at the same time, mediating between the differing ceiling heights.

Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott


Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott


Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott


Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott
Courthouse And Public Square
© Thomas Ott


Courthouse And Public Square
Facade


Courthouse And Public Square
Axon
Courthouse And Public Square
Site Plan


Courthouse And Public Square
Plan
Courthouse And Public Square
Plan