Pim van Tol - Master of Architecture - The People's Tribunal

Pim van Tol The people’s tribunal (de volksvierschaar) the new way of administering justice transparently Pim van Tol +31 6 29 59 89 80 pvtolmail@gmail.com

Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Graduation Projects 2015-2016

Architecture

Pim van Tol The people’s tribunal (de volksvierschaar) the new way of administering justice transparently

The people’s tribunal (volksvierschaar) is a new typology for a court of law where the focus is on observing the administration of justice, just like one could observe this in the open in the past.

A vierschaar (the historical term for a Dutch tribunal, which literally means ‘foursquare’) is the name for the court of law in the early Middle Ages, where they demarcated a room by means of four sticks in the ground and stretched a rope between them. At the four edges, there were benches [squares] upon which the sheriffs [judges] took their seats, and the accused stood in the middle. Justice was administered within these four squares.

The term transparency is an important theme within the modern judicial system and has been considered a structural principle of the judicial system for centuries. Public access compensates for the lack of democratic control. It gives citizens the opportunity to form an opinion about what the judge does and to criticise it. It can be seen as contradictory that a large section of modern society is no longer aware of the fact that the judicial system is, in principle, freely accessible to everyone and the court of law thus forms a public building.

The task itself lies between two contrasts, namely the public and transparent character on the one hand, and the complexity of different routes and the security on the other hand. The people’s tribunal emerged in this area of tension, a central courtroom with a number of routes of public and secure zones orbiting around it. These different transparent zones operate as filter, thus reflecting the various layers of the court.

At a time in which the public nature of the court is under pressure, the people’s tribunal reacts to this with a transparent building which addresses the public nature of the judicial system. The theme of transparency in the administration of justice is a topical theme within the judicial system.

For example, Geert Corsten [President of the Supreme Court] advocated the importance of public access in the judicial system in the magazine of the Council for the Judiciary [September 2014 #03].

“The image of the judicial system is of it being withdrawn, unaccessible, old-fashioned, maybe even unworldly.”

This was said by the former Minister of Security and Justice [Ivo Willem Opstelten] during his introduction to the presidents of the courts in October 2012. And he subsequently said: “We all know that the reality is different, but we do need to do something to change that image.”

Graduation date 08 03 2016

Commission members Machiel Spaan (mentor) Jana Crepon Daan Petri

Additional members for the examination Rik van Dolderen Jeroen van Mechelen

Pim van Tol

Architecture

13th century tribunal [court]

tribunal = point of departure for the design impartiality

tribunal process

> omni-directional orientation emphasises

central positioning in the heart of the city, recognisable, visible and easily accessible

+

urban design orientation people’s tribunal

addition urban waterfront

connect boulevard alongside the banks of the IJ river

current Sixhaven introverted

Incorporate Sixhaven in public space

Pim van Tol

openbaar

privé

-1 verdieping

openbaar

privé

begane grond

openbaar

privé

1e verdieping

openbaar

privé

1e verdieping optioneel

openbaar

privé

2e verdieping

openbaar

privé

3e verdieping

Architecture

courtroom

entrance judges

public corridor zone

library

2

section

5

10

1:200

doorsnede 01

Pim van Tol

square side people’s tribunal

fragment section quay

Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Architect, Master of Science Urbanist, Master of Science Landscape Architect, Master of Science

With the inclusion of the course in Urbanism in 1957 and Landscape Architecture in 1972, the Academy is the only architecture school in the Netherlands to bring together the three spatial design disciplines under one roof.

Some 350 guest tutors are involved in teaching every year. Each of them is a practising designer or a specific expert in his or her particular subject. The three heads of department also have design practices of their own in addition to their work for the Academy. This structure yields an enormous dynamism and energy and ensures that the courses remain closely linked to the current state of the discipline.

The courses consist of projects, exercises and lectures. First-year and second-year students also engage in morphological studies. Students work on their own or in small groups. The design

projects form the backbone of the syllabus.

On the basis of a specific design assignment, students develop knowledge, insight and skills.

The exercises are focused on training in those skills that are essential for recognising and solving design problems, such as analytical techniques, knowledge of the repertoire, the use of materials, text analysis, and writing. Many of the exercises are linked to the design projects.

The morphological studies concentrate on the making of spatial objects, with the emphasis on creative process and implementation. Students experiment with materials and media forms and gain experience in converting an idea into a creation.

During the periods between the terms there are workshops, study trips in the Netherlands and abroad, and other activities. This is also the preferred moment for international exchange projects. The Academy regularly invites foreign students for the workshops and recruits wellknown designers from the Netherlands and further afield as tutors.

Graduates from the Academy of Architecture are entitled to the following titles: Architect, Master of Science; Urbanist, Master of Science and Landscape Architect, Master of Science.

Architecture

Architects, urbanists and landscape architects learn the profession at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture through an intensive combination of work and study. They work in small, partly interdisciplinary groups and are supervised by a select group of practising fellow professionals.

There is a wide range of options within the programme so that students can put together their own trajectory and specialisation.