Civil Justice Centre | |
---|---|
![]() Manchester Civil Justice Centre, Spinningfields | |
Alternative names | MCJC |
General information | |
Status | Completed |
Type | High-rise Courts |
Architectural style | Futurist / Expressionist |
Location | Spinningfields, Manchester, England |
Coordinates | 53°28′52″N 02°15′09″W / 53.48111°N 2.25250°W |
Completed | 2007 |
Cost | £113 million[1] |
Height | |
Roof | 80 m (260 ft) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 17 |
Floor area | 35,160 m2 (378,500 sq ft) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Denton Corker Marshall |
Developer | Allied London |
Structural engineer | Mott MacDonald[2] |
Main contractor | Bovis Lend Lease |
Manchester Civil Justice Centre is a governmental building in Manchester, England. Completed in 2007, it houses Manchester's county court and the Manchester District Registry of the High Court, the city's family proceedings court, the district probate registry, and the regional and area offices of the Court Service.[3]
The Civil Justice Centre was the first major court complex built in Britain since George Edmund Street's Royal Courts of Justice in London completed in 1882.[4] Its distinctive architecture has been nicknamed the "filing cabinet" because of its cantilever floors at the end of the building.[5] The design takes inspiration from Expressionist architecture, as well as the artistic Futurist movement of the 1920s which promotes dynamic lines and a sense of fluid movement.
Commissioned by the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (now the Ministry of Justice), the building was funded as a Public–private partnership and is the centrepiece of the Spinningfields development. The building opened to widespread acclaim for its expressionist dynamism, environmental credentials and high-quality design. It was nominated for RIBA's Stirling Prize in 2007 and named one of the "Best British buildings of the 21st century" by Blueprint magazine in 2011.[6]