Palace of Justice, Antwerp

Palace of Justice, Antwerp
Gerechtsgebouw Antwerpen
Aerial view of the Palace of Justice Antwerp
Map
Alternative namesAntwerp Law Courts
General information
StatusCompleted
Architectural styleHigh-tech architecture
AddressBolivarplaats 20
Town or cityAntwerp
CountryBelgium
Coordinates51°12′14″N 4°23′07″E / 51.2039273°N 4.3852541°E / 51.2039273; 4.3852541
Construction started3 April 2001[1]
Construction stopped28 October 2005[1]
Inaugurated28 March 2006[2]
Cost€280 million
ClientRégie des Bâtiments (Buildings Management)[2]
OwnerCofinimmo[2]
Height18 metres[2]
Technical details
Floor count6 (1 underground and 5 above-ground)[2]
Floor area78,000 square metres (840,000 sq ft)[2]
Grounds3.7 hectares (9.1 acres)[2]
Design and construction
Architect(s)Ivan Harbour,[3] Andrew Morris (Project Partners) and Avtar Lotay (Project Lead)
Architecture firmRichard Rogers Partnership[2]
and VK Studio[2]
Structural engineerArup and Bureau Van Kerckhove[4]
Services engineerArup and Bureau Van Kerckhove[4]
Quantity surveyorBureau Van Kerckhove[4]
Main contractorInterbuild, KBC and Artesia[4]
Awards and prizesChicago Athaneum International Architecture Award, 2008[4]
RIBA European Award, 2008[4]
Staalbouwprijs, 2006[4]

The Palace of Justice of Antwerp (Dutch: Justitiepaleis Antwerpen) commonly known as the Antwerp Law Courts (Dutch: Gerechtsgebouw Antwerpen), De Frietzakken,[5][6] and the Butterfly Palace (Dutch: Vlinderpaleis), is a law court building located in the Belgium city of Antwerp on the site of the former Antwerp-South railway station. The building was built over the Bolivar Tunnel (Dutch: Bolivartunnel) and it houses eight district civil and criminal courts. It was inaugurated on 28 March 2006 by King Albert, Minister of Justice Laurette Onkelinx, Minister of Finance Didier Reynders, governor Camille Paulus and mayor Patrick Janssens.[7] The building was designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership, VK Studio and Arup.

  1. ^ a b "Gerechtsgebouw Antwerpen" (PDF). Interbuild. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Antwerpen-Nieuwe Gerechtsgebouw". Régie des Bâtiments. Archived from the original on 2007-10-07. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Divine justice". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Antwerp Law Courts". designingbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  5. ^ "De Frietzakskes". Columbus Travel. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  6. ^ "The Antwerp nicknames for monuments". De Standaard. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  7. ^ "The Palace of Justice: an architectural highlight". Crowne Plaza Antwerpen. Retrieved 25 May 2020.