The project arose out of a need for a new complex to cater for the rising number of
court cases in Singapore. Why was it proposed to site the new building upon an
existing open-air car park beside the former State Courts building, despite its many
constraints?
Colin Wu (CW): The State Courts, formerly known as the
Subordinate Courts of Singapore, originally resided in what is known as the
“Octagon” building. Site sourcing for a new State Courts building started in the
late 1990s. Based on the projected caseload for the following years, the gross floor
area (GFA) and facilities required were determined. From there, CPG conceptualised
the idea of building the first high-rise courthouse in Singapore.
Through this innovative concept, which moves away from the
traditional low-rise courthouse typology, not only would the new State Courts
building have ample space for future expansion, but the Octagon could be occupied by
the Family Justice Courts, which also required an expansion of its facilities. This
way, the two buildings could form a judiciary hub and operate as an integrated
entity, saving time and resources.
From there, we worked with the State Courts and conducted various test fit designs
for the new State Courts Towers during the feasibility studies to develop its
planning parameters and assess the suitability of the Havelock Square site for the
new building. Much of these information and simulations were then used to formulate
the design brief for the open design competition.
In 2011, the approval was obtained from the Master Planning Committee to develop the
site into a single judiciary hub. This was followed by the launch of an open design
competition for the new State Courts complex.
A large number of spaces had to fit into the small footprint. Another key
consideration was the traditional courthouse requirement to keep the judicial
officers, persons-in-custody, and public separate within the building. How did the
team overcome these constraints to create a distinctive design?
CW: First of all, it was necessary to convince the client and stakeholders that it is
possible to develop a high-rise courthouse on the tight site. Various design studies
were conducted at the feasibility stage to determine if the site was suitable.
Effective function and operations depend on the careful planning of the movement and
circulation of the judicial officers, persons-in-custody, and public, with each
group having clearly defined and segregated circulation routes. CPG applied our
knowledge in court planning and design to conduct various test fits that eventually
translated into the development of the brief and massing of the project. These
formed the basis of the eventual design.
Christopher Lee (CL): It’s precisely because of the constraints and the functional
requirements of the courthouse that we were really pushed to innovate in our entry
for the competition. Our response was to rethink the traditional courthouse typology
in the form of a high-rise building. We conceived it not as a singular building, but
as two towers that each have a very clear function. An office tower is given to the
judicial officers, while the courthouses sit on a separate tower that is the public
interface. In between the two towers is the circulation core connected by link
bridges that allow judicial officers to move between their offices and the
courtrooms. I think what’s unique is how the two towers were designed to appear as
though they slide ever so gently past each other, never fully aligned. Each tower is
read separately, and the arrangement creates a very slender tower profile.