The Courthouse

Located in the up-and-coming Zuidas district, the new Amsterdam Courthouse exudes approachable authority adhering to the principle that the judicial process is a public matter.

KAAN Architecten designed the stately yet inviting institution for public discourse through a collaborative DBFMO* contract overseeing the building's funding, construction, maintenance, and property management.

The Courthouse: Public Architecture is entirely produced and compiled by the building's architects. Through original essays and articles, they take us behind the scenes to unveil the Courthouse as the ultimate gesamtkunstwerk - both a project and a process. These in-depth analyses are visually documented by rich illustrations, construction photographs, and technical drawings.

Additional dialogues with client representatives, Courthouse spokespersons, and Amsterdam's urban planners, lend a voice to untangle and explain the demands of a public building, architectural conceptualization, and public-private partnerships.

More than being the first and most comprehensive look at the Amsterdam Courthouse, this book is a statement and a call for more open, collaborative designs made to last in the community they serve.


*Design Build Finance Maintain Operate