September 13th, 2013 marks the opening of "Court of Justice" in Hasselt, designed by the architects team of J. MAYER H. Architects, a2o-architecten and Lens°ass architects. After finishing the exterior skin already in 2011, the interior was completed in spring of 2013. The new court of justice is an open, transparent building with direct public access, combining the Court of Justice with a university library and auditoriums for the faculty of law. In keeping with the building’s logistical requirements and safety provisions, the structure is divided into three separate units: courtrooms, the library for students and an office tower with a 64-meters-high panorama restaurant on top from which offers a panoramic view of the city of Hasselt and its surroundings.
Based on a master plan by West 8, the former railway station site has been restructured with a park, public buildings, offices and hotels, as well as urban residential blocks. The team of J. MAYER H. Architects, Lens °Ass and a20-architecten have realized one of the two high-rise buildings, "the new court of justice", a structure that stands as a contemporary urban landmark of the new district. References in the design process point to both the image of the "tree", the hazelnut trees in the City of Hasselt’s coat of arms, and steel structures in the once industrial- and Art Nouveau-influenced area.
