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The Walled City Family Law Courts

Part 2 Project 2008
Karol Dempsey
 Queen's University Belfast | UK
An inscription above the Londonderry Courthouse translates as “This is the eye of justice that sees all things”.

This thesis proposal presents a Family Law Courts building in Derry City which challenges the authoritarian hierarchies of traditional law court buildings and explores decorum appropriate to express the sanctity of family preservation.

With the recognition of specific needs of youth and family law cases within the justice system comes the possibility to develop a building typology which reassesses the hierarchy of accused, judiciary and public. It is the modern attitudes toward family preservation and mediation between youth and law which should be addressed in a Family Law Court.

In its essence the thesis aims at producing a response that satisfies the evolving programmatic needs of family law legislation while producing an interpretation of regional architecture that is legible to everyday users.

Accepting localised building typologies and regional culture over personal style rejects the prejudice of what a Family Law Court should look like. Instead it opens the possibilities to provide a critical evaluation of existing forms and typologies that define a city, not just a geographical location but a place, with associated history and culture.

This approach is developed during the design thesis as a method to create an appropriate intervention in the city that forms a backdrop to everyday life, specifically to remind the city of the simple values of the sanctity of family.



Karol has created a synergy between public and private, between domestic and municipal, between social organisation and social intervention – unique and successful to this building typology in this instance. A traditionally municipal building type is given back to the public, encouraging public use of the underdeveloped historic quarter within the city walls. Derry, Northern Ireland, a defensive city packed with historical defensive architecture provided a challenging backdrop to centre stage a new approach - a challenge that has been met head on by Karol.

The idea of creating a ‘family’ law space, one where intimacy and privacy are crucial in maintaining its smooth operation is no easy task. This student has created a light and airy space, with deep connotations to local domestic architecture, somewhat of a contradiction in theory, but in reality the space created sits in harmony with its palatial neighbours. By clever use of materials traditionally hard and sterile spaces for the legal profession are brought to life with local timber, and exposed concrete, a tactile tapestry ready for its conversation with a passerby.

This is the idea of building a real space, for real people.

2008
The Walled City Family Law Courts; evolving the court house building typology within a historic urban context while reinterpreting regional forms and methods of construction.
Embracing the defensive walled city of Derry by presenting a public intervention which encourages use of the eroded inner city blocks while preserving the integrity of the historic walls.
Analysis of the urban context highlighted the need to restore the character of the historic city by completing street frontages and encouraging public use of the municipal quarter.
The concept for the Walled City Family Law courts has grown from an understanding of the basic rituals and ceremonies of law proceedings, the existing courthouse typologies and particularly evolving a building type which honours the sanctity of family.
A symbolic breaching of the walls is made by establishing views from within the new public square to sites of historic significance, including the “Free Derry Wall” within the Bogside district.
The recognition of regional forms has led to the court chambers being thought of as individually expressed entities within a public domain.
The balance between transparency and privacy is controlled by the rhythm of the vertical louvered cladding panels. The oak panels make reference to the celtic translation of the word Derry or ‘Doire’ as oak grove.
The court chambers are defined as isolated masses within the building, presented as volumes of a similar scale and form to that of regional family homes.
Sectional perspective showing the perforated envelope which flanks the urban square, controlling solar gains and privacy while the court chambers rise through the public domain behind.
The regular openings and pitching eave lines of the existing context are referenced by rhythm of the louvered façade and faceted faces of the court chambers.
The scheme rises to approach the scale of the existing Bishop’s Palace which encloses the public square. Completion of the courtyard transforms the space from an open surface car park to a public space for travelling markets and performance.
The scheme restores the previously eroded street frontages while allowing entry into the public square via a narrow opening between buildings, in keeping with the typology of the urban blocks within the city.
The design concept places emphasis on establishing the three court chambers as highly crafted stratified board marked concrete volumes with integrated acoustic linings and services allowing the material to be exposed and expressed simply.
Consideration of formwork placement, including tie rod patterns and horizontal stratification from differing width of boards, ensure the ethos of truthfully expressed materials is achievable.
Detailed assembly of the court chambers with integrated services.
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