The new Palace of Justice in Córdoba, Spain finally broke ground in on December 2014. The project dates back to 2006 when Mecanoo won the first prize in an international competition to design a courthouse with 26 courtrooms, a wedding room, a Forensic Institute, offices, a cafe, an archive, a prison and a parking garage. 

Economic instability in the region caused a number of setbacks and delays. The construction of the project is now rapidly progressing with completion due in 2017.

With the smart integration of a striking design, by Mecanoo in partnership with Ayesa company, that recalls historic Córdoba and its Moorish influences in a contemporary way, the Palace of Justice adds appeal to its surroundings. A section of the old city plan translates in an abstract way into the layout of the courthouse. The city’s traditional courtyards are recognisable in the design, interrupting the compact building volume.

Description of the proyect by Mecanoo

Located in a residential area on the outskirts of Córdoba, the city’s new courthouse contains 26 courtrooms, a forensic institute and public services.

The neighbourhood comprises anonymous housing blocks with nondescript public spaces created by the area’s rapid urbanisation. With the smart integration of a striking design that recalls historic Córdoba and its Moorish influences in a contemporary way, the building adds appeal to its surroundings.

A section of the old city plan translates in an abstract way into the layout of the courthouse. The city’s traditional courtyards are recognisable in the new design, interrupting the compact building volume. They also bring light and natural ventilation into the adjacent rooms and incorporate palm trees into both the lower and upper courtyards.

The building’s compact organisation makes way for a generous public square that highlights the main entrance.

During the day, the building casts a cool shadow over the gently inclined square. The perforated glass reinforced concrete facade filters light and captures heat. Coloured ceramic panels facing the courtyards contrast with the building’s other facades.

The design clearly structures the complex programme of functions, which become more private higher up the building. At the level of the square, the courthouse features an open ground floor that contains the most public sections such as courtrooms, marriage registry and restaurant. High security offices are situated off the upper courtyards and the archives and jail cells are found below ground level.

CREDITS. DATA SHEET.-

Authors.- Mecanoo in partnership with Ayesa.
Size.- 48,000 sqm.
Status.- Ongoing 2014 - 2017.
Address.- Calle Isla Mallorca, Calle Isla Formentera, Calle Isla Gomera, Calle Cantabrico, Córdoba, Spain.
Client.- Junta de Andalucía.
Programme.- Courthouse with 26 courtrooms, a wedding room, a Forensic Institute, offices, a cafe, an archive, a prison and a parking garage.

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Francine Houben (Holland 1955) began formulating the three fundamentals of her lifelong architectural vision while studying at the Delft University of Technology. It was in this crucible of higher learning that she began an architectural practice with two fellow students with the design of a groundbreaking social housing development. As a result, she graduated as architect with cum laude honours in 1984 and officially founded Mecanoo architecten with these same partners.

Francine has remained true to her architectural vision, Composition, Contrast, Complexity throughout her career. Always looking for inspiration and the secret of a specific location, Francine bases her work on both analyses and intuition. She enjoys interweaving social, technical, playful and humane aspects together in order to form a unique solution to each situation. Francine Houben combines the disciplines of architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture in an untraditional way; with sensitivity for light and beauty.

Her use of material is expressive. She is known as one of the most prolific architects in Europe today. Her wide-ranging portfolio comprises an intimate chapel built on the foundations of a former 19th century chapel in Rotterdam (2001) to Europe’s largest library in Birmingham (2013). Francine Houben’s work reveals a sensory aspect determined by form and space, a lavish use or subtle combinations of the most diverse materials, as well as planes of saturated colour. Francine’s contribution to the profession of architecture is widely recognized. She was granted lifelong membership to the Akademie der Künste, Berlin in 2010.

In 2008, she received the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year Award. Honorary fellowships to the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and an international fellowship to the Royal Institute of British Architects were granted to her in previous years. The past three decades have seen her cumulative effect on the profession of architecture. Francine lectures all over the world and takes part as a jury member in prestigious competitions.

Her commitment to research and education is evidenced in her instatement as professor in Architecture, Chair of Aesthetics of Mobility at the Delft University of Technology (2000), her professorship at the Universitá della Svizzera Italiania, Accademia di architettura, Switzerland (2000) and her appointment as visiting professor at Harvard (2007). Dedication to her alma mater is reflected in generous sponsorship of the UfD-Mecanoo Award for the best graduating student of the Delft University of Technology.

Francine Houben lives in Rotterdam, a modern city where the skyline is dotted with buildings designed by world renowned architects; including her award winning Montevideo Skyscraper (2005). It was in this dynamic city that she directed and curated the First International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (2003), with the theme, ‘Mobility, a room with a view’. She has realised numerous signature projects throughout the Netherlands and Europe including Philips Business Innovation Centre, FiftyTwoDegrees in Nijmegen, (2005-2006), La Llotja Theatre and Conference Centre in Lleida, Spain (2009) and the Delft University of Technology Library (1999). Currently, she is expanding her architectural vision to other continents with the design of Taiwan’s largest theatre complex, The Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts in Kaohsiung (2014), Dudley Municipal Center in Boston (USA) and Shenzhen Cultural Center (China). In 2011 the book Dutch Mountains was released, a chronicle of Francine Houben and eight special projects in five different countries.

Francine maintains an active presence in academia and culture, regularly publishing and giving lectures worldwide. She has performed in many academic and professional capacities throughout her career, including Chair of Architecture and Aesthetics of Mobility at Delft University of Technology, visiting professor at Harvard Graduate School of Design, and as director of the First International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam.

Francine has received honorary fellowships from the Royal Institute of British Architects, the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In 2014 Francine was named Woman Architect of the Year by the Architects’ Journal and in November 2015 Queen Máxima of The Netherlands presented Francine with the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Prize for her wide-ranging career. Francine was awarded Honorary Doctorates from the Université de Mons, Belgium (2017) and the Utrecht University (2016).

“Architecture must appeal to all the senses. Architecture is never a purely intellectual, conceptual, or visual game alone. Architecture is about combining all the individual elements into a single concept. What counts in the end is the arrangement of form and emotion.”

Francine Houben, architect/creative director Mecanoo Architecten.

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Published on: April 9, 2015
Cite: "Palace of Justice in Córdoba is under construction by Mecanoo" METALOCUS. Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/palace-justice-cordoba-under-construction-mecanoo> ISSN 1139-6415
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