Inauguration
New Gelsenkirchen Justice Center
The inauguration of the Justice Center in Gelsenkirchen, planned by the Stuttgart colleagues harris + kurrle and by the RDS Partners and completed on time and within the budget, took place on April 29, 2016 with the NRW Justice Minister Thomas Kutschaty in attendance.
By bringing together different courts in one location, synergies were created for the different jurisdictions in Gelsenkirchen. The new building includes the new Gelsenkirchen District Court, merged from the Gelsenkirchen District Court and the Gelsenkirchen-Buer District Court, which is responsible for the entire city of Gelsenkirchen. In addition, the Social Court, the Labor Court, and the outpatient social service of the NRW Ministry of Justice are now located in the building complex. Overall, approximately 19,000 square meters of gross total floor area are available to the various users in the new Justice Center.
Mass and scale, unity and organization, autonomy and inclusion - the implementation of these ambivalent subjects determined the design for the new Justice Center. Three similar rectangular structures are joined to form a new, homogeneous whole. Recesses and height offsets provide adequate hierarchy and building space in the urban environment. The largest structure defines a generous entrance space. The structure of the building is generally based on the scale of the neighboring buildings.
As the largest component, the front building takes on the central functions. 23 courtrooms, as well as a canteen, library, and land registry are all arranged around an atrium, which serves as an entrance hall. The administrations of the three courts are completely housed in the two subsequent building structures.
