The new Judicial Courthouse in Lucena is conceived as an institutional building carefully integrated into its urban setting, establishing a particularly close dialogue with the Church of El Carmen. The building is organized around a horizontal podium that responds to the different scales of the site, supporting a more compact and representative upper volume oriented towards the adjacent park and surrounding public spaces.
The proposal employs Pietra Capri, a natural stone quarried in nearby Cabra and closely associated with the local context, as its principal material. Its vertically modulated application, incorporating different surface finishes, creates a sober and rhythmic envelope that combines institutional presence with environmental performance. In the upper volume, the stone façade acts as a filter in front of a lighter glazed skin, regulating daylight, privacy, and views towards the city and the surrounding landscape.
The interior is organized around a generous double-height entrance hall illuminated from above, functioning both as the building’s principal representative space and as its main circulation hub. Natural light, filtered through skylights and vertical architectural elements, accompanies the circulation routes and reinforces the spatial clarity of the building. Access points are carefully differentiated, separating the main public entrance, the duty court, public circulation routes, restricted areas, and the facilities located below ground level.
The result is a calm, solid, and precisely articulated public building in which construction, natural light, circulation, and urban context are brought together within a single architectural strategy. The courthouse not only accommodates a complex judicial programme but also enhances the surrounding public realm through a contemporary architectural expression that is restrained, dignified, and materially rooted in its territory.
TECHNICAL DATA
- BUILDING: JUDICIAL COURTHOUSE (2008)
- PROJECT ARCHITECT: JOSÉ ÁNGEL FERRER
- CLIENT: MINISTRY OF JUSTICE OF THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OF ANDALUSIA
- LOCATION: LUCENA (CÓRDOBA)
- GROSS FLOOR AREA: 4.458 m²
