schmidt hammer lassen architects: international criminal court, the hague

'international criminal court', the hague

danish architectural firm schmidt hammer lassen has been coined the winner of
the international criminal court competition for the hague, netherlands. the new court
is set to be built in the rolling dune landscape at the edge of the hague.

the main concept of the plan will convey a sculptural arrangement of buildings while
conveying the eminence and authority of the ICC. according to the architectural jury,
the design provides a great contribution to the city with its integration of the landscape.

'it was evident that connecting the dune landscape with the edge of the city had a striking
potential. by designing a compact building with a small footprint, we propose to return
the landscape to the city.' - bjarne hammer, co-founding partner and creative director
of schmidt hammer lassen architects.




indoor garden

the structure will consists of a courtroom tower and five office buildings, and a public area
situated in the ground floor with gardens. the inner ground floor can be seen as a private
park area which will facilitate the interaction between all the ICC employees.

'gardens have always existed as part of all cultures and all religions. with flowers and plants
from each of the 110 ICC members' countries, the parterre gardens rise up as a green landmark
and a symbol of unity, regardless of nationality and culture.' - BH







environmental sustainability was also a key criterion in terms of the building’s footprint
and the selection of building materials. the facades of the office buildings are clad in
a composite material which was selected for its suitability to the windy and salty local climate,
ease of maintenance and security performance. the material is normally used in the bodywork
of professional race cars and in the cladding of windmills due to its durability.
the design has at this stage been assessed as BREEAM Excellent.



last year, three winning architects were shortlisted by an international jury amongst
a total of 171 applications. the winning entry was chosen based on the criteria of best design,
sustainability, functionality and costs.

the new ICC headquarters in the Hague is expected to be completed by 2015.


aerial site view