In the center of the building is the actual courthouse, which is constructed as a building within a building and wrapped in shiny copper. The interior is finished in 2294 panels of silver beech timber with varied surfaces to enhance acoustics. The courtroom is shaped like an orb and the interior paneling was inspired by the spiral diamond patters of the kauri cone.
Solar thermal panels provide hot water for the building, while energy consumption is minimized with double-glazed windows, energy-efficient lighting and air-quality control systems. All the native wood used in the Supreme Court was sourced from sustainable sources.
The Supreme Court and Warren & Mahoney were recently awarded a Gold Best Award from The Designer’s Institute of New Zealand. This annual award recognizes excellence in graphic, spatial, product and interactive design.
The courtroom looks a bit like SOM’s Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland. Otherwise an interesting project …
[...] and art center features a dramatic wine-colored Flying Theater composed of geometric shapes to enhance acoustics. The center will also provide library programs for residents in addition to concerts, [...]
A great project. I love it but….there is one comment that I would like to make. It seems as though the facade is not grounded and a great pity the column were not considered as an integral feature also, both inside and out. Maybe the they could have been decorated in some way also to compliment the foliage of the design? It would also provide a feeling from inside that you were enveloped by the outer skin…. leading you into the main body if you like.
PS If I make a mistake with my typing it is because this site has ads that run completely over one side of the allotted space!