ICC Permanent Premises: More Than a Beautiful Design Solution.
By Lyudmila Palamar.
Two weeks from now, one of the major Hague-based institutions, the International Criminal Court, will relocate from its current office in the Arc building to a new purpose-built complex in Alexanderkazerne.
The new premises of the ICC are a balanced and aesthetically beautiful synthesis of contrasts. Massive glass and concrete elements are harmoniously intertwined with a dominant natural aesthetic. A vast hanging garden integrated into the front of the main building and a further five thematic gardens located in different parts of the premises successfully create an atmosphere of peace.
But the balance of contrasts in the new ICC premises does not stop at its creative design. The building offers both openness for the general public and the highest level of security. Cozy and stylish public areas are open and accessible to all, but in order to reach them, visitors will first have to pass a security check, and walk through the first and only fully bomb resistant doors in the Netherlands.
The stunning new premises of the ICC are considered by the organization to be more than just a brilliant Danish design solution. First of all, the permanent premises serve as a symbol of the permanency of the Court itself, and of its strong support from state parties. For a long period of time, the ICC was housed in the Arc building in Maanweg. These premises were temporary, and shared with other organizations such as Eurojust. Now, the Court has a new and permanent home.
“Completion of the new, purpose-built building of the Court is a major milestone for the ICC as a permanent international institution,” said ICC President Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi. The new ICC premises will also increase the quality of ICC facilities, bringing victim and witness protection to a new level. The whole building was designed in a way that all parties involved in a trial, including the accused, victims, and witnesses, meet only in the courtroom.
Even to get to this courtroom they use separate entrances, routes, and elevators. Moreover, other facilities in the building – including the large number of waiting rooms – were designed to make the experience of victims and witnesses as smooth and calm as possible. Even the public viewing arrangements are designed to protect witnesses, and the general public cannot see the witness from the gallery.
The ICC’s new permanent premises embody the values our society expects a 21st century international organization to uphold. These values comprise openness, transparency, reliability, care for the vulnerable, and of course, the fundamental principle of global justice.
