© OMA

International Criminal Court

Even twenty years ago our belief in institutions was sufficiently robust to express them in single emblematic structures (shapes): the UN secretary, the EU headquarters in Brussels… Since then, a pervasive skepticism towards bureaucracy has made these confident representations dubious. Before we grant our confidence, we want to know what actually happens in these huge build masses.

Our most fundamental question is how the International Criminal Court represent itself in the best possible way through its built representation? Up to 70 percent of the program for the ICC consists of offices. Quantitatively they dominate the core activity of the ICC: to judge crimes against humanity (and genocide) and to been seen to do so. If it would reflect an international standard in corporate building of offices, this would not reveal the importance of such a prominent institute. The building is neither an office building nor an international parliament. It should be a 'Workshop for justice'.