SOUTH AFRICAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT COMPETITION mark shapiro
After the elections of 1994 and the democratization of South Africa, a new constitution was written and a Constitutional Court was established. The competition called for the conceptual restructuring of the surrounding context and the detailed design of the court building so as to establish a new public focus for this part of the city.
THE SITE
The site, on a prominent hill in central Johannesburg, had been occupied by a number of penal institutions where common criminals, victims of the pass laws and thousands of political prisoners were held. Nelson Mandela, Albert Luthuli, Joe Slovo and Mahatma Gandhi were among the better-known inmates. On a site that is still redolent with the ghosts of the victims and perpetrators of apartheid, the project attempts to establish a new and positive reality without losing the powerful memory and meaning of the place in the historical continuum of South Africa.
A number of existing prison buildings are to be retained and used as museums and other public institutions. The awaiting trial building, at the center of the site, is to be demolished. An existing electrical transformer is also to be retained.
APPROACH
Our approach to this project is conditioned by the realization that the new Constitutional Court will be the most significant public building to be built since Sir Herbert Baker’s Union Building in Pretoria. It has the potential to concretize the hopes and aspirations of a newly democratic South Africa in which the rule of law is a reality. We are also aware of the limitations of financial resources in South Africa. Nevertheless we believe that this building should have a clear civic and monumental presence when seen in the larger context of the city and the society. Our strategy attempts to achieve a balance between this and a more accommodating and smaller scale presence for the building in relationship to the public space that lies at the center of "Constitution Hill."
SITE CONCEPT
The center and focus of the "Constitution Hill" precinct is not a building but a large public open space, "Constitution Grove." From this open space access is gained to the various institutions that will occupy "Constitution Hill." The "Grove" is filled with a dense grid of trees that provide shade. The presence of the trees serves to disperse the focus of the space. This strategy suggests that it is the individual citizen who seeks justice before the law. In a clearing in the trees at the center of the "Grove" is a sunken space for small public gatherings, ceremonies and debate. It has the same plan dimensions as the court chamber. The constitution is inscribed on the southern wall of this space. The wall is clad in polished stone with a sheet of water running down its face. An appropriate monument (shown for convenience in the drawings as Le Corbusier’s Open Hand) is on axis with the Constitutional court chamber. The visitor’s waiting area of the demolished awaiting trial building is retained and the footprint of the awaiting trial building could be outlined with stone or brick strips in the ground surface of "Constitution Grove." Tree lined pedestrian routes from the surrounding streets bring one to the center of the site. Bus, taxi and car drop off is from the east.
"Constitution Grove" has a gravel surface with stone or brick paving used only in special areas and for accent strips. This will provide good rainwater absorption and help to ameliorate problems of runoff. Opportunities for vendors, both formal and informal should be developed in and along the edges of the "Grove" to animate the space and promote safety and security. Public parking is provided in the courtyard of the women’s Prison building and off Sam Hancock Street to the North. The electrical substation is left unchanged, and its impact is reduced by it being surrounded on three sides by the new Constitutional Court building.
BUILDING CONCEPT
The court chamber is pushed to the northern edge of the slope and it is placed above the public reading room, thus giving the court chamber a monumental scale and establishing a strong presence for the building on the northern slope of the hill.
This monumental scale is in clear contrast to the loggia that lies along the edge of "Constitution Grove" to the south and the edge of the new building to the west. A water retention pool is located at the base of the volume of the library and court chamber that reflects the volume of the court chamber and library and is used as a heat sink for mechanical cooling.
Access to the Constitutional Court building is from the loggia. The axis between the court chamber and center of the "Grove" is denied by a row of columns so that movement is never on axis.
An entry court gives access to a single security point from which a visitor to the building either ramps up to the court chamber, continues at the same level to the public reception counter or descends via exhibition space to the public reading room.These routes of movement take place within a single hypostyle hall. The columns that support the roof of the hall have skylights at the junction of roof and column that will bathe the columns in light and produce an analogous effect to that of the dappled sunlight under the shade trees of the "Grove."
The court chamber is a cubic volume with a south facing roof monitor. Although the judge’s bench is the focus, the center of the space is occupied by the public and is emphasized by the roof monitor.
An ambulatory surrounds the court chamber and allows access at appropriate points for the judges, the researchers and the attorneys.Just as the document of the constitution and precedent support the rule of law, the public reading room of the library literally and symbolically supports the court chamber.
Although the majority of the collection is in closed stacks, the public reading room should be lined with additional books in open stacks. The librarian’s accommodations are between the public reading room and the private court reading room.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
Air-conditioning equipment is housed in the base of the library and court chamber volume. The thick "wall" that surrounds the spaces accommodates low speed high volume supply and return air ducts. The roof monitor above the court chamber has operable glazing so that the space may be naturally ventilated when temperature conditions allow.
Office accommodation is in a single loaded wing on three levels. Administration is on the same level as entry and the suites of judge’s chambers are on the upper two levels. The library and the office floors each have a north-facing terrace. Sunshades and light shelves are provided. To the south of the office wing is a winter garden. A skylight reaches over the top of the office wing so that it may receive direct sunlight. During the summer the skylight will act as a solar chimney and induce natural ventilation through the offices. This will allow air conditioning to be used in only more extreme conditions.
CONSTRUCTION
Building systems have been chosen that are labor intensive so that as many jobs as possible can be created. The structural system is cast in place reinforced concrete. The court chamber and library are clad in red sandstone panels and the large roof monitor above the court chamber is coated in copper or lead.
