Taller De Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha, S.C.

Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

TALLER Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

FIRM
TALLER Mauricio Rocha + Gabriela Carrillo

TYPE
Commercial › Office

YEAR
2015

STATUS
Built

LOCATION
Pátzcuaro, Mexico

TALLER
Daniel Huerta, Giordana Rojas, Juan Carlos Montiel

Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

The traditional system of court trials was about to migrate to a new system of orality, that involves not only a completely renovated scheme in the deployment of justice from Mexico, but also the need of creating new spaces that allows the right function of this new justice system.

Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.
Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.
Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

These first spaces of transition fulfill the follow double function: by one hand, to understand the actual needs, with no hierarchy or confinement space; and, on the other hand, the creation of flexible spaces with low adjustments can be adapted to the new demands.

This new architectural design understood them as a system: grouping the program according the different uses.

Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.
Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

The trial spaces had to accomplish, in parallel, with a list of elements such as: functionality, the new operation, the pedestrian flows and the illumination, acoustics and thermal quality; all this for the new halls.

But also it was necessary to express transparency, equality, democracy, justice and dignity.

By last, a sense of belonging to the context, to a culture and belonging to a society of which they are part of.

Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.
Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

Since jail architecture has been designed to be observed, the new design must be an exposed system, opened to democracy, to the citizenship, with lighted paths, shadows, wind and silence.

The approach of the project was to create open spaces inside the building, whence the oval wall, that contains a circulation which works as a great wall, as well it allows that inside of it, there are placed a succession of gardens. 

Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.
Criminal Courts for Oral Trials in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

The wall, built with volcanic stone obtained from the site, is the oval wall with a 5m to 8m height.

The project was developed in just one level and contain two typologies of buildings: Offices and services pavilion with an inclined ceiling.

Taller De Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha, S.C.
T +52 55 56612120
Taller De Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha, S.C.
Av. Miguel Ángel de Quevedo 95, Chimalistac, Álvaro Obregón, 01070 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico