A story for a representative new proposed object in the center of Rădăuţi could be a metaphor stylistically filtered by an image of a classical architectural heritage from the past, "updated" or it could be a story "of the day", stylistically conceived.
From the story of a concept with such a representativity function, both the past and the future can not be excluded. Such a story must be able to celebrate both the cultural load of the past decades, as also of the future ones. Thus we considered that the generation of an esthetic and functional symbolism of some binomials which can determine the morpholgy can be the story of the new house. In this context, the immediate observation of the functional relations of the programme necessary to the law-court led to to the translation of two worlds: an “open” one, transparent with a meaning of public space, as a potential functional quotation of „forum romanum” or as a modern „agora” and the other one more „closed”, as a procedure black box with a meaning of the institution of Judiciary in itself.
The vision of the two worlds in the story of one house, like two houses conceptually stuck together in a strong visually architectural collage: the colonnade house - the public veranda - and the decisional machine - the black box, represents an equally strong symbol at the socio-cultural level for the purity of these two utilities: public and institutional in the community.
The lawcourt, due to the importance of the function it holds, is in any city a symbolic institution that needs a representative image. The significance of the act of justice goes beyond the utilitarian function itself, being one of those three state institutions that represent the pillars of democracy in a state: Legislative, Executive, Judicial. Or in other words, it is that neutral and independent entity in society where decisions are made that establish whose side is the truth or who should be rewarded or punished in various cases.
The location reinforces the importance of the function, being on the main street near Rădăuți City Hall. Considering the dynamic development of the activity and the number of staff, but also the restricted access of the public in certain areas, a specific control of the flows in the building is required. Thus, restricted access areas are those interior spaces to which access is through a control point, which limits access to judges, court staff and visitors who have authorization to pass. The specific regime of these areas applies to the sectors where judges' offices are located, their access corridors to courtrooms, council rooms and administrative spaces. Each of the participants in the act of justice enters the institution through its own entrance, in order to then follow its own route, in accordance with the specific flows of the activity.
Circulation is restricted not only for the personal safety of court workers, but also to preserve the integrity of court policies and procedures. An additional safety measure for judges is the use of bulletproof glass in the courtrooms in front of the panel. A challenge of the project was finding a balance between these safety measures, the privacy of judges, court staff, litigants and the public, while maintaining a positive, welcoming environment within the building.
As a public building, the interior premises of the court must be able to receive almost all persons who wish to enter. Extra care has been given to people with limited mobility or other motor problems, ensuring the possibility to use all public spaces through specific elements, such as special elevators.
A representative space for a court building is the hall of lost steps, a veritable turntable that distributes the public and visitors. It is the space with which the first contact is made upon entering the institution and represents both a circulation and a waiting space. In the project, it is developed over the entire height of the building, with a vault on the 2nd floor that allows an easy perception of the other functions and the access routes to them. Access to the first floor can also be done on the open central staircase, which climbs around an imposing structural wall, a dominant vertical axis in the public hall – the house of the colonnade.
In antithesis to the open area of the front porch, there is the closed central courtyard at the back, an airtight space, intended for the embarkation/disembarkation of persons deprived of their liberty, in close proximity to the holding boxes. These secure spaces are specially equipped with fixed metal furniture and installations/equipment secured against vandalism.
The project promotes respect for national traditions, as well as the objectives of judicial activity itself, offering the possibility of ensuring tranquility in the building, the solemnity of the act of justice, as well as generating a sense of security through the appearance of the building. The appearance of the building becomes a symbol, a source of civic pride and contributes to the overall image within the local community.
