The European Court of Justice has been based in Luxembourg since 1952. As the number of EU states grew, the demand for courtrooms and office space steadily increased. An expansion of the building in the city centre to the extent necessary was out of the question. Therefore in 1985, the Luxembourg Parliament finally paved the way for a new building to be constructed outside of the city centre. The European Court of Justice building marked the first major milestone in the urban development of what has become the key administrative centre on the Kirchberg Plateau. Excavation work began on 25 April 1986 in the solid bedrock of the plateau
for the first extension of the Palace of Justice. HOCHTIEF Luxembourg constructed the first extension on a turnkey basis, carrying out the reinforced concrete structural works itself and subcontracting the finishing trades to renowned specialist firms from Luxembourg. In cooperation with our partners, and under the direction of HOCHTIEF Luxembourg, we were able to complete the building on schedule and within the estimated budget. As a result, HOCHTIEF Luxembourg was awarded the contract for the turnkey construction of extensions B and C of this impressive building.
Two tunnels drilled into the solid bedrock connect the extension with the main building. One is reserved for staff, the other for service processing inside the complex. A three-storey underground car park provides space for 900 cars. Through the entrance hall with its two-storey galleries and connecting lobby, visitors are led to numerous different sized courtrooms. The largest courtroom is located in the seven-storey tower to the west of the site and also serves as a multifunctional room for special events. The entrance hall corresponds with the buildings of other important European administrative institutions on the opposite side of the Rue du Fort Niedergrunewald.
A printing office and restaurant with seating for 700 people are located on the ground floor of the building complex. The offices are grouped on three floors around six large inner courtyards. The architecturally appealing façade is clad with high-quality granite.
Glazed metal bridges connect each section of the building and create additional highlights in combination with the solid structures. The architectural design of extensions A, B and C of the European Court of Justice is based on the design concept of the architectural company Atelier d’Architecture Paczowski Fritsch & Associés.
After eight years (1986–1994), the three extensions to the European Court of Justice were ready for occupancy. In 2004, we were awarded the contract to demolish the original building of the European Court of Justice (the “Palace”) and reconstruct the shell of this key building, complete with plenary and deliberation rooms and extension D (the “Anneau”), on the same site. This ring of office blocks surrounding the inner courtyard of the Palace consists of offices on two levels constructed on 14-metre-high stilts made of rolled steel sections.
Glazed bridges connect the offices to the main building. Before building the Palace and Anneau, HOCHTIEF Luxembourg created a single-storey car park in various levels of the Kirchberg Plateau. The contract was worth approx. €25 million.
Right on schedule, in May 2006, almost 250,000 m³ of converted space with a gross floor area of more than 40,000 square metres was handed over to the relevant ministry.