2/1/2008
Design of space and functions for the new International Criminal Court in Den Haag
From November 2006 to February 2007, the Top Office Management worked with Drees & Sommer International to develop design of space and functions for the new International Criminal Court in Den Haag. The International Criminal Court was established in Den Haag in 2002 and was to replace successive tribunals (such as the Yugoslavia tribunal). After 2012, the court is to move from temporary premises to a new, permanent facility. The first phase of the project involved interviewing some 40 representatives of all departments to capture the functions, workflows and communication flows in the individual departments. This information was then adjusted in further workshops until consensus was reached.
The use of interviews allowed very specific responses to individual clients. The result is a design of space and functions that will form the basis both for an invitation to participate in an architectural competition and for later planning steps. The design challenge was to reduce the numerous and widely varying requirements to a few key aspects and statements, and to formulate these in a way that a layperson could understand. Translated into the official languages of the ICC, the design of space and functions also forms the basis for financing of the project by the 104 member countries