Brisbane Supreme & District Courts

Scheduled for completion in time for the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Queensland's Supreme Court, the new building is a radical departure from traditional court design. It exhibits a remarkable transparency and lightness appropriate to the expression of contemporary justice and to its sub-tropical locale.

This 64 000m2 courthouse is being built on the Queensland Place site, bounded by George, Roma and Turbot Streets in Brisbane's CBD. Project cost is estimated at $600m and will be completed by the end of 2011. The complex houses 39 courtrooms covering both civil and criminal jurisdictions, chambers for 69 judges, a library and courts administration facilities.

The design maximizes the use of daylighting to all the courts, public waiting spaces and offices through a sophisticated system of glazed walls and layered screens which surround the perimeter of the building, and vary according to the internal functional requirements of the adjacent interior space. The result is a light open courthouse, comprised of generously scaled and simply detailed internal spaces of dignity and presence.

The inclusion of internal and external gardens and courtyards throughout the building responds to the character of the sub-tropical environment and promotes healthy workplaces.

The design also contributes immensely to the urban realm of the city, creating a major new public square for Brisbane, and completing and defining both the existing powerful George Street civic axis and the new Tank Street pedestrian axis.

Sustainability measures will include water harvesting and recycling, passive solar design, recycled building materials, low energy air cooling systems, and the use of the double glass cavity as an integral component of the air distribution system.

Project Sheet

• Project Sheet