ICC Permanent Premises

ICC Permanent Premises
General information
Status	Under construction
Type	Office
Location	The Hague, Netherlands
Coordinates	52°6′20″N 4°19′7.16″E / 52.10556°N 4.3186556°E / 52.10556; 4.3186556Coordinates: 52°6′20″N 4°19′7.16″E / 52.10556°N 4.3186556°E / 52.10556; 4.3186556
Construction started	Autumn 2012
Estimated completion	End of 2015
Technical details
Floor area	52,000 m2 (560,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect	schmidt hammer lassen
Developer	Combination Visser & Smit Bouw and Boele & van Eesteren ('Courtys')
Website
http://www.icc-permanentpremises.org

ICC Permanent Premises is a project that has as its main goal the construction of the permanent headquarters of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

At present, the ICC is housed in interim premises in The Hague formerly belonging to KPN, provided by the host state of the Netherlands until the end of 2012.^[1]

As a permanent judicial institution, the ICC requires functional permanent premises to enable the Court to execute its duties effectively and to reflect the significance of the ICC in the fight against impunity for crimes of concern to the international community. The Assembly of States Parties decided that the ICC should be provided with newly built permanent premises and the Permanent Premises Project is underway: Construction is scheduled to start in the Autumn of 2012 and to be completed towards the end of 2015, when the premises will be ready for use.

The Permanent Premises Project's goal^[2] is to create the optimum balance between quality, functionality and cost, providing the States Parties who established and continue to support the ICC with the best possible long term value for money.

The host state (Netherlands) will make the construction site available free of charge and has provided a loan to finance the construction. In addition, the host state organised and financed the architectural design competition which started at the end of 2008.

Three architects were chosen by an international jury from a total of 171 applicants to enter into further negotiations. The Danish firm schmidt hammer lassen were ultimately selected to design the new premises since its design met all the ICC criteria, such as design quality, sustainability, functionality and costs.^[3] In October 2012 the tendering procedure for the General Contractor was completed and the combination Visser & Smit Bouw and Boele & van Eesteren (“Courtys”) was selected for the realisation of the ICC’s Permanent Premises.^[4]

The new Court will be situated between the dunes landscape and the edge of The Hague on the site of the Alexanderkazerne (a former military barracks complex)^[5] on the corner of van Alkemadelaan and Oude Waalsdorperweg. The demolition of the barracks started in November 2011 and will be completed in August 2012.^[6]

The new site is situated close to the ICC's detention centre and to major roads, and it is part of the International Zone of The Hague^[7] which also contains the Peace Palace, Europol, ICTY, OPCW and The Hague World Forum.

Design

The new premises of the International Criminal Court will be a compact building with a small footprint and will consist of six connected building volumes. The Court Tower with its green facade will be the tallest volume and will be placed in the middle of the design. It will accommodate 3 courtrooms. The plants and the garden motif will be also found on the ground floor of the complex and will contribute to the character of the building. The rest of the building's volumes will accommodate the offices of the different organs of the ICC.^[8]

Lobby

Typical courtroom

References