REFURBISHMENT OF THE ALICE SPRINGS COURTHOUSE
“The design has completely transformed the Alice Springs Law Courts building. It brings light and a sense of space and calm, into what was a heavy, closed-in and ……. impractical venue, while enhancing the safety, dignity, accessibility and comfort of all court users in a busy court house.
The design creates the opportunity for victims and vulnerable witnesses to have a safer and more empowering experience, with the creation of a separate entrance, secure waiting areas with natural light, trauma-informed rooms in which to give evidence via video, and even one specialised courtroom for domestic violence proceedings.
Many interview rooms allow people to speak privately and confidentially at court. Collegiality, cooperation and settlements are encouraged through a service providers’ lounge and a negotiation room. [It achieves] impressively smooth, yet complex separate egress of judges, court staff, members of the public and those in custody….. “ Courthouse Registrar, March 2021:
The Alice Springs courthouse was converted to a dedicated local court when the Supreme Court relocated elsewhere. The substantial alterations were based on a community-justice centre model where client support services would be visible and available, requiring extensive consultations with Corrections, Police, court staff, and the NGOs who represent and advocate for court clients.
The 2-storey concrete brutalist 1970s building was converted from an imposing, introverted facility with limited space and options for waiting, into an open light-filled place connected to the street and the community. Waiting and informal meeting areas are more than doubled, and dedicated interview rooms are provided for court clients to meet legal and social support agencies.
Most importantly the design responded to a wider campaign by the Department of Attorney-General and Justice to deal with domestic violence matters more effectively. To encourage vulnerable witnesses and victims of domestic violence to attend court, a separate discreet building entrance leading to dedicated vertical circulation and a secure homely waiting area on the upper level were created. This area has direct access to a secure video conferencing room, and to the witness stand of a courtroom specially designed for domestic violence matters.
The design resolved a number of critical functional aspects, in particular creating 4 separate horizontal and vertical circulation zones over the three levels of the courthouse for court staff, people in custody, vulnerable witnesses, and the general public. Less visible aspects of this project include resolving fire compartmentalization in a 40 year old building, upgrading the acoustic performance, and designing the entire facility so that the court could remain in operation throughout construction.
Architectus National Public Sector Leader, Stephen Long commented, “It was fantastic collaborating with Susan Dugdale and Associates on this distinctive project that has created a thoughtful and positive outcome for Alice Springs. The project team combined Architectus’ extensive court design experience with Sue’s longstanding design leadership in the Northern Territory.”
Director Sue Dugdale observes that this Alice Springs project wouldn’t have been possible without Architectus’ collaboration in the project. The depth of Architectus’ knowledge in the justice design sector provided the big moves that underpinned the success of the project.
AWARDS
2021 AWARD FOR PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE
