The present state of The Hague as an international political domain generates an interesting tension between the local, the governmental and the global, which is evident in the site of the International Criminal Court. The mission of the so-called 'world court' currently involves member states collaborating on the concise aim of 'acting as a solid fort' against inter-country crime. Accordingly, the formal expression of the International Criminal Court avoids association with the local built environment, while clearly utilizeing the morphological potential of the terrain. Next to the dunes, between city and landscape, the extensive flat formation – with its tall volumes –defines its appearance as scenic sculpture, as opposed to urban structure.