Project SheetTransparent pavilion

Local Court Bitburg

Office

Project Panel

Clients

Ministry of Finances on behalf of the federal state Rhineland-Palatinate
Completion

2020
Awards

1st prize in competition for realisation

Project PDF

The new three-storey Local Court building is placed like a solitary pavilion within its urban setting. On its southern side, a square is provided, naturally leading from the public street to the entrance. The exterior spaces allude to the greenery of the Bürgergärten public parks. The forecourt can be used as a short-term waiting and communication zone and, like the parking spaces, is embedded in the garden. Altogether, the building communicates great openness and credible sustainability dedicated to current ideas. (…) All in all, the architects successfully created a contemporary contribution for a local court in which the immediate contact to people in all aspects of daily life is central.

Jury appraisal

The new three-storey local court has a consistent square footprint with a green inner courtyard providing a good deal of air and light. The building sits, low and directionless, like a solitaire in the green spaces of the gardens, set back from the line of the neighbouring residential buildings. Its height keeps below the ridges of the surrounding pitched roofs.
The new building is composed of a permeable, very transparent garden storey (entrance level) and two upper floors, all formally tied together by the façade. A large light courtyard generously provides the rooms with natural light.

» We are delighted that we qualified for this extraordinary commission with our differentiated architecture and building concept. We share a special bond with Bitburg. This makes us look forward even more to our collaboration, and that we may turn these ideas into a lively and modern organism of democracy together. We also gladly accept the challenge of the holistic sustainability concept. «

Nils Krause

Physical, energy quality

Adapting the guidelines of DGNB/BNB (German Sustainable Building Council/Assessment System for Sustainable Building), the building’s primary structure corresponds to the goals of sustainable flexibility and maintenance during its lifespan. The three-storey building is designed as a timber frame structure resting on a low-foundation reinforced-concrete basement. The floor slabs, being timber-concrete composites, can contribute further to the sustainable energy and comfort concept. The material is locally grown softwood with low transport impact and a good CO₂ balance.

Location