In earlier times it was believed that a courthouse should express the full majesty of the law. Upon crossing the threshold of the halls of justice the subject should feel small and insignificant. And, if sentenced to gaol, the citizen as convict should be hidden away from the public as far as possible.

Removing a Kafkaesque labyrinth

We rejected this traditional understanding of justice, in architectural terms too, and made a number of radical interventions in the Salzburg courthouse building.

"Transparent and open, exactly the way we imagine jurisdiction in a democracy."

The 19th century palace-like building is a listed monument; we opened it up, demolished the prisons cells from the 1970s (the prison facility was moved to Puch-Urstein on the outskirts of the city) and removed the Kafkaesque internal labyrinth in which visitors almost inevitably lost their way.

Bridge building

We carefully adapted the characteristic language of this palace-like complex and opened the building towards the city by activating all the entrances and erecting a new, Y-shaped link in the courtyard from where you can now enter the complex via the main entrance. We have accommodated all the negotiation rooms in this bridge building that is positioned between the existing wings.

"The architects have successfully achieved something very like squaring the circle."

architektur.aktuell (11/12)

Entry allowed

Now a striking justice centre opens towards the city on all sides. With its internal courtyards it presents the court in a new light: passers-by can now enter the building and admire it. It is transparent and open, reflecting the way we imagine jurisdiction in a democracy.

"With this building we positively engage the citizens."

Spatial composition

Using a varied arrangement of terraces, bridges, staircases and sunken courtyards, we have created a complex contemporary composition of urban and spatial design with an appealing tonality, enclosed in a relaxed way by a listed ‘ring of buildings’.

"The way they handle the existing building fabric shows that the authors possess considerable experience and competence in the area of historic buildings."

Excerpt from the jury statement

By opening up the complex in a way that seems circumspect from the conservationist’s viewpoint but is perceived by the public as significant, we eliminate the old building’s authoritarian, hermetic character, in the process meshing it with the heterogeneous spaces of Salzburg’s old town.

The building is made clearer and easier to grasp and offers new routes and new insights and outlooks – in more senses than one.

As a part of a comprehensive refurbishment project, the courthouse in Salzburg - executed by “Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft (BIG)” as building-owner - not only parted with its old walls, but also with its time-honoured architecture. The architecture firm Franz&Sue came up with a well thought-out new and radically different concept that did away with the regional court's authoritarian character and transformed it into an open space of encounter. Sustainability and a sensitivity to the needs of the many target groups associated with the courthouse were the overriding themes.

The facade panels of the concrete specialist Rieder from Salzburg are not only in keeping with monument conservation standards, they also impress with their ecological footprint. The light concrete skin facade was used on the envelope of the new building. The durable concrete slabs complement the large glass surfaces and aesthetically tie in with the historic old building. Green and honest The central aspect in the planning and execution of the building was to use only high- quality and ecologically sound products. The existing building was awarded the "klimaaktiv Gold" standard, the new building “klimaaktiv Silver”.

The courthouse also internationally meets the highest energy efficiency requirements and exacting ecological criteria. In addition, the project was awarded the Austrian national award for Architecture and Sustainability for its outstanding achievements in the area of sustainable construction and renovation. When it came to choosing the facade material, the architects focused on lightness and sustainability. Rieder's concrete skin facade panels in the colour sahara are used in the building core - the Y-shaped new part with its magnificent entrance hall. They cover the entire fully glazed complex. Natural raw materials are used for Rieder's glassfibre reinforced concrete products.

This gives the material a sense of familiarity, liveliness and an unmistakable honesty. The panels tie in perfectly as a modern addition between the new and old buildings. Active contribution to climate protection "We chose Rieder's concrete skin product because we have already had positive experiences with it and it was important for us that the facade ages well", says Christian Ambos, Franz&Sue Partner, about the decision to use Rieder's facade panels. In addition to durability, low maintenance and total fire resistance, Rieder has many other arguments up its sleeve when it comes to ecology. It goes without saying that Rieder uses non-toxic products (free of crystalline silica) and reduces its use of primary energy in production to a minimum.

In an effort to reduce environmental pollution, Rieder is constantly developing new strategies: In line with our zero-waste policy, for example, all waste materials from production are reused in other areas; innovative technologies help us reduce offcuts; when we do produce waste, it is utilised in product innovations made of waste cuttings which we developed ourselves. The greatest driving force behind our continuous development efforts is the striving to create more than just sustainable concrete products in order to allow us to make an active contribution to the energy revolution ourselves.