The future courthouse in Lille, designed by Rem Koolhaas, features vibrant glass and a green roof, but it is already deemed inadequate by local judges. With only 24,000 square meters, it will primarily serve criminal magistrates, forcing civil judges to relocate. Past protests about the project’s size went unaddressed, leading to concerns over workspace efficiency. Budget overruns have risen from 100 to 150 million euros, while the building’s facilities, including parking, are also facing limitations.
Lille’s upcoming courthouse, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, boasts a stunning design featuring vibrant glass facades, a green rooftop, and extensive lawns. However, on the ground, the reality is that the structure is inadequate for its intended purpose.
“This building is completely undersized,” remarks judge Karine Dosio, representing the Union Syndicale des Magistrats in Lille. Once completed in 2027, the courthouse will offer approximately 24,000 square meters of usable space, which is 8,000 square meters less than the existing courthouse. This new facility will primarily serve criminal judges, while civil judges—who handle a substantial portion of court activities—will have to find alternative accommodations due to the lack of space. “The hiring of 16 judges, 17 court clerks, and 9 judicial officers wasn’t factored into the original plans; this was revealed after construction started,” adds a representative from the Ministry of Justice.
Reassessing the Plans
Judges and clerks from the Lille courthouse had raised concerns well in advance. In 2017, five years prior to groundbreaking, a petition was initiated to address the project’s limitations, which was developed by the Agence Publique pour l’Immobilier de la Justice (Apij). The Ministry of Justice claims that when excluding walls and partitions, the usable area will actually be 13% larger than that of the current facility. Nevertheless, judicial staff continue to voice their dissatisfaction with the limited workspaces.
This is not the first time Apij has needed to adjust its designs, often citing a focus on “optimal management.” For example, last year, the chancellery approved an extra floor for the Nantes courthouse extension, which was also criticized for being too cramped. However, adding additional floors in Lille is not feasible due to the building’s foundation, which was not designed to handle more weight from extra stories. Creating an annex on the selected land has also been ruled out, as Martine Aubry has pledged to environmental advocates to preserve green areas in the location.
Inadequate Facilities for Operational Needs
Continuing to utilize the existing courthouse, even partially, is off the table. Urgency surrounds its evacuation: this 1960s Brutalist structure fails to meet modern safety standards, and the Département du Nord is planning to sell it by 2026. In early August, the Ministry of Justice, alongside Lille City Council, sought “a complementary real estate solution” for the magistrates displaced from their courthouse. Initially, they considered acquiring a dormant section of a nearby business school, but this option has since been dismissed due to high renovation costs.
Taxpayers have already contributed significantly to the project. The budget has soared from an original estimate of 100 million euros to 150 million euros. Beyond construction overruns, Apij has faced various unforeseen expenses, including hiring an agency to facilitate “change management” for the judges, which is intended to help them adapt collectively. The strategies in this plan include reducing storage space in favor of digital archiving, sharing offices among judges to make the most out of available space, and even promoting a car-free lifestyle. The future courthouse will offer only 140 parking spaces, a stark decrease from the 350 available at the current facility. Reports indicate that the entrance will also be too narrow for a prison transport van…