Frederiksberg Courthouse

Frederiksberg, Denmark

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Frederiksberg Courthouse

Frederiksberg, Denmark

Firm

3XN

Type

Government + Health › Court/Post Office

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2013

In accordance with the Danish design tradition, Frederiksberg Courthouse is the result of a rigorous and pragmatic process, where the challenges of the program and the site were the creative point of departure. The successful result is an elegantly curved building, classical yet modern.The design strategy takes its signal from the neighboring Neoclassical courthouse designed by Hack Kampmann. To ensure a respectful dialogue with Kampmann’s building, only parts of the building plot of the 53,000-square-foot site were exploited and the new courthouse is kept lower against Kampmann’s building toward the east while rising against the taller buildings toward the south.This resulted in a compact structure of 59,000 square feet designed at a respectful angle of 45 degrees to the listed courthouse, with an open corridor between the buildings, which are connected by a glass footbridge. A row of old trees was preserved by letting the western facade curve elegantly. The brick and tile facade expresses solidity and creates a relationship with the existing cityscape. The elevation of the facade by the main entrance, combined with the light tones of the facade, adds lightness and gives the courthouse an identity. The interior is designed in coherence with the values of a modern democracy. It is a key parameter that all user groups, from staff to defendants, experience a logic and friendly environment with optimally separated flows. An atrium with a skylight cuts through the middle of the building; drawing daylight deep into the interior and creating visual connections between decks. Shifting light art promotes a play of light and a pleasant atmosphere. The sustainability strategy is ambitious: The building’s compact form, the immense use of daylight together with natural ventilation, and the thermo active surfaces with night cooling result in significant energy savings. The building also features a green roof.