European Court of Human Rights building
Encyclopedia
The building of the European Court of Human Rights
is located in the European Quarter
of Strasbourg
, France
. It was designed by the Richard Rogers
Partnership and Claude Buche and was completed in 1994.
Partnership Ltd (London
) and Claude Bucher (Strasbourg
). They intended to create a "symbolic landmark but not a monument". They also, due to the nature of the court, wanted to make it more welcoming and open rather than fortress-like. The original design was stretched as, during design, the demand for office space grew by 50% due to the fall of communism in the east. The building relies on natural light and ventilation, except the light entrance hall which is air conditioned in an energy saving manner. The two main organs of the court, the court and commission, occupy two large circular chambers each side and offices are located in a "tail" stretching behind the building.
The team of architects behind the Rogers Partnership working on the building were: Laurie Abbott, Peter Angrave, Eike Becker, Elliot Boyd, Mike Davies, Karin Egge, Pascale Gibon, Marco Goldschmied, Lennart Grut, Ivan Harbour, Amarjit Kalsi, Sze-King Kan, Carmel Lewin, Avtar Lotay, John Lowe, Louise Palomba, Kim Quaz, Richard Rogers, Pascale Rousseau, Yuli Toh, Sarah Tweedie, Andrew Tyley, Yoshiyuki Uchiyama and John Young.
s, which came from the member states of the Council of Europe
which owns the building, however the site it was built on was provided by the City of Strasbourg. Queen Elizabeth II planted a tree on the building site in May 1992.
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
is located in the European Quarter
European Institutions in Strasbourg
There are a range of European Institutions in Strasbourg , the oldest of which dates back to 1815. In all, there are more than twenty different institutions based in the Alsatian city...
of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was designed by the Richard Rogers
Richard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH Kt FRIBA FCSD is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs....
Partnership and Claude Buche and was completed in 1994.
Design
The building was designed in 1989 by the Richard RogersRichard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside CH Kt FRIBA FCSD is a British architect noted for his modernist and functionalist designs....
Partnership Ltd (London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) and Claude Bucher (Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
). They intended to create a "symbolic landmark but not a monument". They also, due to the nature of the court, wanted to make it more welcoming and open rather than fortress-like. The original design was stretched as, during design, the demand for office space grew by 50% due to the fall of communism in the east. The building relies on natural light and ventilation, except the light entrance hall which is air conditioned in an energy saving manner. The two main organs of the court, the court and commission, occupy two large circular chambers each side and offices are located in a "tail" stretching behind the building.
The team of architects behind the Rogers Partnership working on the building were: Laurie Abbott, Peter Angrave, Eike Becker, Elliot Boyd, Mike Davies, Karin Egge, Pascale Gibon, Marco Goldschmied, Lennart Grut, Ivan Harbour, Amarjit Kalsi, Sze-King Kan, Carmel Lewin, Avtar Lotay, John Lowe, Louise Palomba, Kim Quaz, Richard Rogers, Pascale Rousseau, Yuli Toh, Sarah Tweedie, Andrew Tyley, Yoshiyuki Uchiyama and John Young.
Construction
The Court was formally located in a building located just across the river, which was built in 1965 and designed by Bertrand Monnet, J. Apriell and Papillard. Building work began in December 1991 and continued until December 1994. It was built by 50 firms with 125 subcontractors and cost 544 million French FrancFrench franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
s, which came from the member states of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
which owns the building, however the site it was built on was provided by the City of Strasbourg. Queen Elizabeth II planted a tree on the building site in May 1992.
Rooms
The building has 28,000 square metres of floor space. The Court Room covers 860 square metres and has 260 seats, with an extra 49 for judges and 33 for applicants (the deliberation room has 47 places with an additional 52 seats). The Commission Room covered 520 square metres and has 41 seats with 30 places for applicants. Other meeting rooms (in total there are 11) cover 4500 square metres and have an average of 47 places around table, plus 52 at the rear. The 420 offices cover 16,500 square metres and in total the building has capacity for 600 people. There is also a Projection room with 204 seats and a 180 seat cafeteria.See also
- European Institutions in StrasbourgEuropean Institutions in StrasbourgThere are a range of European Institutions in Strasbourg , the oldest of which dates back to 1815. In all, there are more than twenty different institutions based in the Alsatian city...
- Palace of Europe
- Seat of the European Parliament in StrasbourgSeat of the European Parliament in StrasbourgThe city of Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament. The institution is legally bound to meet there twelve sessions a year lasting about four days each. Other work takes place in Brussels and Luxembourg City...
External links
- Human Rights building in figures, European Court of Human Rights
- European Court of Human Rights, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners