The aim of the competition was to develop an urban planning concept that would form the basis both for a development plan and for the realization competition to be held in 2023. HPP's design for the new justice center, which is being built on Luxemburger Strasse, surprised the jury in a particularly positive sense: with a concept without a high-rise building.
"Cities are facing the challenges of climate change, mobility and energy transformation and must meet demands for vital and multi-layered living space. The design of the new Justice Center closes the existing, heterogeneous development structure in a quarter-forming and scaled way to the green belt. The themes of New Work, communication and workplace quality are taken into account to a high degree in the building ensemble," says Werner Sübai, Senior Partner at HPP Architekten.
The design provides for the deconstruction of the existing building complex and represents an urban redefinition of the entire area in Cologne-Sülz. The analysis of the task in relation to the size of the site allowed the prize-winners to choose a concept without a high-rise building. With five to six-story structures, the design fits into the urban environment in a manner appropriate to the neighborhood and also leaves room for future expansions. The buildings are slightly offset from each other towards the new Justice Square and the green belt. The new justice center creates a central address where the individual uses (regional court, district court, Cologne public prosecutor's office and the boardrooms) are presented in an equally readable manner on the place of justice.
The newly created place of justice forms the transition to the green belt and creates the basis for a justice center in Cologne that is close to the people and can be experienced. Architecturally, the base of the building ensemble with the two-story access gallery is clearly legible. The publicly accessible areas of the courtrooms and the office levels of the district and local courts are accessed via this connecting, multi-storey communication tract.