Architects: J. Mayer H. Architects + a2o architecten + Lens°Ass architecten
Location: Monseigneur Broekxplein, Hasselt, Belgium
Design Team J. Mayer H. Architects: Jürgen Mayer H., Georg Schmidthals, Marcus Blum, Güvenc Özel, Jan-Christoph Stockebrand
Design Team A2o Architecten: Luc Vanmuysen, Jo Berben, Tim Vekemans, Mannfred Benditz
Design Team Lens°Ass Architecten: Bart Lens, Massimo Pignanelli, Philippe Dirix, Jan Achten
Area: 3,200 sqm
Year: 2007
Photographs: Filip Dujardin
Site Area: 3,640 sqm
Total Floor Area: 21,600 sqm
Client: Stationsomgeving NV Hasselt
Based on a master plan by West 8, the former railway station site will be restructured with a park, public buildings, offices and hotels, as well as urban residential blocks. J. MAYER H. Architects, along with Lens °Ass and a20-architecten have realized one of the two high-rise buildings, “the new Hasselt courthouse”, a structure that stands as a clear urban symbol of the new district. References in the design process to refer both to the image of the “tree”, the hazelnut trees in the City of Hasselt’s coat of arms, and steel structures in the once industrial- and Art Nouveau-influenced area. The tree-like structure also refers to courts held under large, old trees, a common tradition in the Middle Ages.
The new courthouse is an open, transparent building with direct public access. In keeping with the building’s logistical requirements and safety provisions, the structure is divided into three separate units: courtrooms, a university library and office tower with a 64-meters-high panorama restaurant, where windows afford a view over the city of Hasselt and its surroundings.
