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Protecting Island Heritage
Based on feasibility work conducted since 1997 this competition entry to redevelop and extend the existing Royal Court was an exercise in highly complex planning within a sensitive urban context. Part of the team’s ambitions was to consolidate the existing development, locate the new courts where they are visible from St Paul’s Gardens and retain the 1811 prison, which plays a major part in Guernsey’s heritage.
The strength of the proposed site layout is in the arrangement of the main components of the project. Adjacent to St Paul’s Gardens a new prominent public entrance leads up to the new courts, which are the catalyst of the project displayed in the front elevation. Their simple cubic forms float above the public concourse – the smaller Magistrates Court is cantilevered – the larger Court One is locked into the corner of the site sitting astride massive granite walls. Within the granite enclosure public and private spaces are arranged around a tranquil courtyard garden providing a notion of transparency and privacy alike.
On the other side of New Street the retention of the prison and exercise yard become a visitor attraction adding vitality and contributing to the St. Peter Port heritage trail. |
