FOJAB is designing a new court building in Vänersborg - a sharply cut volume that has been processed in relation to its program content and at the same time relates to its urban situation.

THE PLACE
The new court is located directly adjacent to one of Vänersborg's most important entrances and clearly advertises itself as you move along Edsvägen towards the city center. The court will be part of a context of solitary institutional buildings such as Gamla Lasarettet with, among other things, Vänerparkens skola and Habiliteringsmottagningen and Trons kapell.

The new court building contributes to the transition between the block structure of the city center and the green park environment. The three-storey building opens up to the south and interacts with the park. New trees and plantings further strengthen the connection. The building's entrances for the various needs of the business are oriented in relation to safety, function and flows.

HUMANITY
By withdrawing the building from the property line, surfaces are created that meet people's need to stay and move around the new court building. The base will be terraced to manage height differences and to increase the quality of the streetscape. We establish plantings with terraced seating-friendly retaining walls that also enhance orientation.

The main entrance is marked by a large tree and three-storey glazing and the recessed volume. A successive sequence of entrances and a respectful entrance square allow people to enter, stay and leave the building in a dignified manner. The court's generous waiting room is located one floor up. The facade opens up with large areas of glass, exposing the interior of the building, and the public spaces interact with the park space on the opposite side of the street. The fact that the public areas are located one floor above street level provides a distance and a respectful distance that creates integrity for the sensitive situation that visitors to the building may find themselves in.

The court building houses around 130 workplaces, 11 courtrooms, including two security rooms, security control with an adjoining reception area, public areas, staff offices, transport and rooms for detainees. The district court will have separate entrances to all rooms and separate flows throughout the building, with separate escape routes.

FORMS
The building's design language is basically simple, where the volume is processed with a few character-creating touches. This without losing the weight and authority required to be an important representative of a sound legal system.

A green ceramic façade defines the identity of the court building and its relationship to the city, with its green copper roofs and the greenery of the surrounding parkland. The ceramic panels are slightly curved, creating effective shadows on the facade - a bit like the ripple of water on Lake Vänern. Beauty is combined with durability and efficient construction.

The facade is designed with horizontal bands that give a clear presentation of the room volumes inside. Vertical profiles that create a rhythm in relation to the underlying program and between these alternate glass and dense areas, well balanced to handle views, daylight and the high environmental ambitions. The desired degree of transparency and privacy is also regulated here. With a rational modular system and a high degree of prefabrication in the facade and frame, the building's complex program and volumes are managed.