2004 2008
The Manchester Civil Justice Centre
2004 2008
The Manchester Civil Justice Centre
Contents Occupier Her Majesty’s Court Service Developer Allied London Properties Limited Architects Denton Corker Marshall Engineers Mott MacDonald Main Contractor Bovis Lend Lease
Allied London Properties Limited 1 Cavendish Place London W1G 0QF www.alliedlondon.com Photography All images by Daniel Hopkinson www.danielhopkinson.com Except page 12 Image by Commisionair and page 41 Image by Tim Griffiths Retouching Simon Parkinson / DHAP Design Deep www.deep.co.uk Publisher Alma Media International Rayner’s Court, 737 Garratt Lane London SW17 0PD www.almamedia.co.uk © Alma Media International Ltd 2008 All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of Alma Media International is strictly forbidden. For any kind of use, permission of the copyright owner must be obtained. Printed in the United Kingdom ISBN: 978-0-9561105-0-3 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Preface Open Position Glass Veil Cantilever Spaces Courts
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The Manchester Civil Justice Centre
Preface
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A sustainable building of civic generosity and European significance
Background For over 100 years Manchester County Court was situated in the historic surrounding of Cobden House, at 19A Quay Street. As the twentieth century progressed, outgrowing these premises was inevitable, and in the late 1980s the court moved to a new extension to the Courts of Justice in Crown Square. Whilst inadequate office accommodation was thereby replaced, the unsatisfactory courtrooms at 184 and 186 Deansgate continued in use, in order to meet high demand for civil and family hearings in the City. As the millennium drew to a close, Manchester was changing rapidly. The announcement in November 1995 that the City would host the 2002 Commonwealth Games was followed only seven months later by devastation, as a terrorist bomb exploded in the busy main shopping area. Paradoxically, the bombing is now seen by many as the turning point in central Manchester’s regeneration; a wave of new investment brought many benefits, not least amongst which was a once in a lifetime opportunity to resolve Manchester County Court’s building related problems. Few could then have envisaged that the solution would come in the striking form of the magnificent Manchester Civil Justice Centre. In July 2005 the building was topped out, only 13 months after the groundbreaking ceremony. Two years later, almost to the day, the completed building was handed over to Her Majesty’s Court Service. After an intensive fit out period the Civil Justice Centre opened its doors to the public on 24 October 2007, providing a timely opportunity to mark the European Day of Civil Justice the very next day by a ceremony in one of the spacious and well equipped ‘supercourts’ – the largest of the four different sizes of court or hearing rooms contained in this most flexible and modern of courthouses. It is difficult to imagine a more fitting environment in which to mark the international importance of the civil justice system, and to recognise the potential for the resolution of civil and family law disputes.
The Civil Justice Centre embodies that potential, offering an iconic physical representation of Manchester’s bright future. A sustainable building of civic generosity and European significance, the Civil Justice Centre provides 47 court or hearing rooms, 75 consultation rooms, office and support areas within a landmark, 16 storey, 34,000m² £160 million development. The building sits on the site of a former multistorey car park adjacent to the existing Courts of Justice, in the heart of the new Spinningfields financial and business district between Deansgate and the River Irwell. The City Magistrates Court building, opened in 2004, completes the triumvirate of major court buildings within a short walk of each other. Few other cities can offer full range of court services in such a compact area, and legal firms are increasingly seeing the sense of locating in this new business and legal quarter. Procurement Following the selection of Spinningfields as the location for the Civil Justice Centre by Her Majesty’s Court Service, an international design competition was held attracting submissions from over 50 teams. The award of the project eventually went to Denton Corker Marshall and Mott MacDonald, who then worked in close collaboration with Bovis Lend Lease to deliver the development, coordinated and managed by Allied London. The Civil Justice Centre was required to have low energy in use and a minimal impact on the environment. In addition, the brief called for good natural daylight, natural ventilation, acoustic privacy and low energy use, whilst maintaining comfortable internal temperatures. Compared to briefs for other low energy buildings, this was an ambitious set of objectives. From the concept stage onwards, building form, orientation, layout, shading and engineering systems were key elements in achieving the environmental brief and delivering this within a unique architectural design.
Architecture The working courts and offices are expressed as long rectilinear forms, articulated at each floor level, and projecting at each end of the building as a varied composition of solid and void. In side elevation, these elements collectively establish a dynamic and distinctive building profile; in end elevation, they form a powerful sculptural interplay of light and shade, depth and complexity. The architectural implication is that the courts are not forbidding or concealed, but open and accessible. The glazed ‘fingers’ at each level contain the courtrooms and symbolise the accessibility of the judicial system. This project has offered a cultural shift in perception by the British public of what a court building should look like. By taking the complex operational and relationship needs of a building of this size and nature and pairing them down through a simple exercise of expressing the main functional parts as separate architectural elements, a unique architectural form unhindered by pre-conception and expectation has been created. From the moment that they catch a glimpse of the building, the building occupants, be it staff, legal teams or court attendees from the general public, are immediately stimulated by the architecture. On entering the building, the occupants move from the reception and security check area into the vast day-light filled 11 storey atrium. This space, with the meeting pods floating in the upper void area, becomes an exhilarating spectacle that stops people in their tracks to take in the unexpectedness of it all in a public building. At each moment of their movement around the building, the occupants enter spaces that enhance their experience through either looking from the upper concourse levels or from within the naturally lit and ventilated courtrooms. The response from staff working in the building on a daily basis has been extremely positive from the moment they moved in. The judges have expressed delight in the environment that they now have been given to carry out their judicial duties. The courtrooms
are specifically designed to suit the legal function and scale of cases to be heard, which creates a bespoke feel to each. The restricted circulation areas, normally badly lit corridors, are located on the east face of the building with floor to ceiling height glazing affording magnificent views over the City, whilst the judges retiring suites are large and comfortable with the office area and en-suite bathrooms fitted-out to suit their status. A judges dining room is located on the uppermost floor to encourage the daily meeting and discussion of the 47 judges. It has panoramic views across the outlying urban areas and countryside and is one of the most dramatic settings in the City. The general offices are located on the upper floors of the building and with generous window areas, also have spectacular views over and around Spinningfields and beyond. The working areas include high quality fittings and furnishings to encourage an open-plan environment and exploit the natural day-light and views-out. Complex technical environmental solutions have been developed for this building and fully integrated into the architectural design, utilising a range of environmental aids – including wind scoops, natural ventilation, an environmental veil and groundwater cooling – to supplement more conventional heating and cooling systems. Ventilation and Lighting The atrium and judges retiring suites – some 15% of the building – are naturally ventilated rather than air conditioned. The courts and consultation rooms – a further 65% of the building – are mixed-mode allowing natural ventilation when appropriate. Courtrooms are relatively tall spaces and the courtrooms are naturally ventilated by air routed from west to east, the prevailing wind direction. Outside air enters through twenty 7m long wind scoops on the west façade, travelling at high level on each floor through light-air ducts before entering the courtroom on the floor above and discharging via the east façade.
A weather station on the roof, and room sensors in each court, control the natural ventilation via the building management system, opening and closing dampers on façade intakes, the wind scoops and supply points to each court. Architecturally this system is all but invisible; the ducts feeding air into each courtroom appear as a single long slot above head height. The courts incorporate a low energy, variable air volume, floor-based ventilation and cooling system for use when outside air alone is not sufficient. Although most of the courts are internal spaces, they are provided with natural light. Angled light shelves in the environmental veil on the eastern elevation reflect light into the building’s interior, increasing its intensity by about 15% and reducing the need for artificial lighting, which is triggered by light sensors. Daylight from the west shares some of the ventilation routes across the building. These shared, acoustically lined, light-reflective routes – termed light-air ducts – are a key architectural and engineering feature of the building. Heating and Cooling On its western elevation, the Civil Justice Centre has an 11 storey, 60m high, fully glazed atrium that is naturally ventilated. Its double-skinned façade is Europe’s largest hung glass wall, incorporating 6,200 panes covering 11,000m² and weighing approximately 1,000 tonnes. The façade cavity is sealed in winter to reduce heating requirements and ventilated in summer to improve atrium comfort. On the eastern elevation, the environmental veil is not just decorative: its perforations have been carefully engineered to provide shading to naturally ventilated offices behind. Further cooling is provided by groundwater abstracted from two 100m deep boreholes that tap into an aquifer beneath the site. Groundwater is pumped to the building’s heat exchangers at 12°C and is used to directly cool atrium surfaces through embedded floor pipes. It also pre-cools supply air
and the chillers, increasing their efficiency by around 15%. This direct and indirect use of borehole water reduces the building’s cooling requirements by about 33%, removing the need for a 660 kW chiller and associated cooling towers. Borehole water is discharged into the adjacent River Irwell at about 28°C. Extensive analysis and testing have shown that there is no adverse environmental effect from utilising this natural resource, resulting in a successful groundwater abstraction licence application to the Environmental Agency. The savings in chiller, cooling towers and associated pipework costs more than offset the cost of the boreholes and heat exchangers. Reduced CO2 Emissions By maximising the use of natural light, fresh air and groundwater, the building’s carbon dioxide emissions are calculated to reduce by around 505 tonnes per annum. Overall energy consumption is reduced by around 20%. In a carbon footprint saving analogy, this equates to either planting 830 trees or removing 135 cars from the roads every year. Awards As a Civil Justice Centre the building has a demanding performance and brief. At a time when energy considerations appeared less important than they do now, the original targets for natural ventilation, low energy use and daylighting were agreed and set. The completed building not only demonstrates the successful delivery of environmental sustainability, but has shown how architects and engineers can work together to make a virtue of environmental considerations and engineering systems, resulting in a building that is both striking and popular. Within 12 months of the opening of the building the Civil Justice Centre has won over 20 national and international awards for construction, engineering, environmental sustainability and architecture, including being shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects’ prestigious Stirling Prize for 2008.
Open
The Manchester Civil Justice Centre was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 28th February 2008. It is the largest court building to be constructed in the UK since the Royal Courts of Justice over 125 years ago.
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Position
Standing in Spinningfields, next to the Crown and Magistrates Courts and visible from the town hall, the Civil Justice Centre provides an iconic centrepiece for Manchester’s legal quarter.
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An impressive addition to Manchester’s skyline, the Civil Justice Centre stands in the heart of the City within the new Spinningfields financial and business district.
View of the north face showing the building’s cantilevered court rooms, spine and atrium.
Glass
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The Centre features an 11 storey spectacular 60m high fully glazed atrium along its western edge – Europe’s largest suspended glass wall.
The triple-glazed faรงade incorporates 6,200 panes covering 11,000m2 and weighing 1,000 tonnes.
The faรงade cavity is sealed in winter to reduce heating requirements and ventilated in summer to provide cooling.
The west elevation showing the ‘wind scoops’ which provide natural ventilation to the courtrooms.
Veil
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The environmental veil, on the east elevation, is not just decorative: its perforations provide shading to the naturally ventilated offices behind.
The angled light shelves in the environmental veil reflect light into the building’s interior, increasing its intensity by about 15%.
Cantilever
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One of the Civil Justice Centre’s most striking features is the cantilevered court rooms that project from each end, creating an impression of drawers pulled from a filing cabinet.
Architects Denton Corker Marshall refer to the cantilever sections as the building’s ‘fingers’.
The glazed ‘fingers’ contain the courtrooms and symbolise the accessibility of the judicial system.
The Centre’s cantilevered courtrooms from the north.
The main entrance on Manchester’s Bridge Street.
Spaces
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The building is divided by a spine wall running down its centre, separating the public entrance, waiting areas and meeting rooms on the west from the restricted-access side on the east, containing the courts, judges retiring suites and offices. As a major public building the Civil Justice Centre is designed to present a non-intimidating and easily understood face to its visitors and staff.
A hotel-style reception breaks the mould of traditional court design.
Through the atrium glass wall, sunlight reaches deep inside the building to illuminate the main public areas.
Spacious and light public waiting areas and meeting rooms within the atrium.
Waiting and seating areas appear to hang in mid-air.
Ground water abstracted from 100m deep boreholes directly cools the atrium and provides cooling for the building’s chillers, reducing cooling requirements by some 33%.
The Centre’s 60m high glass atrium and public concourse.
American light oak panelling lines the concourse waiting areas, punctuated by stainless steel portico entrances to the courts or hearing rooms.
The sense of space inside belies what is a compact building.
Courts
There are four different sizes of courts, all spacious and well equipped, providing state-of-the-art facilities for the resolution of civil and family law disputes.
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The courtooms are primarily internal spaces, but are all provided with natural daylight and natural ventilation when external environmental conditions are appropriate.
The building is an elegant and beautifully executed response to a complex brief that has made a significant contribution to the regeneration of this part of Manchester. The architectural expression and resolution of the environmental design sets this building apart. Environmental sustainability has been integrated into the design from the start. The Royal Institute of British Architects, 2008