In 2011, an open design competition was held for the new State Courts, with CPG assisting the evaluation panel with its technical and design expertise. CPG then collaborated with the winners, Serie + Multiply Architects, to develop the new State Courts. As the Principal Consultant and Architect, CPG was entrusted to develop the winning design and make it operational for the client.

The new State Courts design features an innovative two towers strategy. One tower is dedicated to the courtrooms, hearing chambers, and court supporting functions while the other tower is to house the judges’ Offices, staff offices and support functions. The 2 high-rise towers are linked by a series of link bridges that enable the controlled circulation necessary for the courtroom process. 

The courtroom tower is an open frame supporting a series of shared terraces on which the courtrooms are placed: it has no external facade. In a metaphorical sense, this represents the openness and impartiality of the judicial process. The outdoor terraces feature high rise greenery and are designed to allow views across the city thereby reinforcing the civic role of the building.

The project site sits in the dense urban setting of Chinatown and is near the original State Courts and Family Justice Courts, both of which are protected historic buildings. CPG’s engineers thus had to work closely with their project management colleagues from PM Link to plan and coordinate the construction. Many components were prefabricated offsite because of a lack of storage space, and these had to be properly scheduled and delivered directly to the floor for installation.