Bordeaux Law Courts

Following a competition stage, RRP was commissioned by the French Ministry of Justice to design new law courts for the city of Bordeaux that would emphasise, through a feeling of transparency and openness, a positive perception of the accessibility of the French justice system. The brief called for nine civil and criminal courts, administrative offices and a large public space, the Salle des Pas Perdus, leading to all the courtrooms.

The site is located in the heart of the historic core of Bordeaux, near the medieval cathedral and forming a backdrop to the imposing Neo-Calssical Palais de Justice facing the Place de la République. The presence of a stretch of the medieval city wall, complete with medieval towers, and an existing law school from the 1970s provided tight and challenging boundary conditions.