For years, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has been accommodating in temporary premises, but not anymore. Schmidt hammer lassen architects (SHL) has designed the new permanent headquarters for the ICC keeping in mind sustainability and functionality. Giving a close competition to a 20-strong international shortlist like David Chipperfield, Mecanoo Architecten, OMA/Search, Ingenhoven, Wiel Arets, and Kengo Kuma & Associates, the Danish office design was selected in a prestigious architectural design competition.
Placed between nature and city, the new Court is located close to the North Sea. The building is designed as an abstract and informal sculpture in the landscape. The overall building form can be seen as an undulating composition of volumes on the horizon, reminiscent of the dune landscape. Environmental sustainability is a key criterion in terms of the building’s footprint and the selection of building materials. Composite material goes into making the facades of the structure for its suitability to the windy and salty local climate, ease of maintenance and security performance.
The user-friendly and spacious ground floor gets beautiful daylight from above. The gardens in the ground floor level of the building will act as a cladding of the Court Tower. This ground floor can be seen as an inner private park area which facilitates the interaction between all the ICC employees in a very pleasant and positive way. Presently the design has been assessed as BREEAM Excellent.