House of Justice

Architects of Invention were invited to submit a proposal by Georgia’s House of Justice. The brief included a design for a 1500m2 building to house 95 members of staff and a flow of 400 users a day, to serve Ozurgeti’s population of 15,000. Construction began in September 2011.
 

The Ministry building brings together a number of services - the Civil Registry Agency, National Agency of Public Registry, National Archives of Georgia, National Bureau of Enforcement and Notary Chamber - under one roof, creating a new blueprint for a government building. Inspired by a classical Greek form, the Ministry is fronted with regular columns, but, rather than a rendered façade, the columns support a canopy beneath which are two independent and contrasting glass volumes. The size of the Public Hall defines the first volume, which is rectangular and also contains office space.---  The second volume is oval and set apart from the rectangular block to accommodate a covered entrance and public walkway between the buildings, connecting the square to one of Ozurgeti’s major boulevards. Each form is double-storied and linked by an underground corridor. The exteriors and interiors are uniform white, adding to a sense of luminosity. The choice of 100% transparent low emission glass creates brightness inside the building. This building is contextual, with a clear relationship to the city and its surroundings.  It invites public interaction and its presence modernises the square with its existing residential buildings, a former local art museum and a 400-seat theatre.