The State Courts Towers breaks new ground in exploring high-rise typology for courthouse design. Standing at 178 metres, it is the tallest government building in Singapore to date and one of the world’s tallest courthouses. The 35-storey State Courts Towers comprises the “Court Tower” and “Office Tower” connected by an impressive series of 39 link bridges. Since its completion in 2019, the State Courts Towers has won various local and international awards, including the prestigious President*s Design Award (P*DA) 2023. 

Site sourcing for a new State Courts building started in the late 1990s. Based on the projected caseload for the following years, the gross floor area and facilities required were determined. From there, CPG Consultants Pte Ltd (CPG) conceptualised building the first high-rise courthouse in Singapore. Through this innovative concept which moves away from the traditional low-rise courthouse typology, not only will the new State Courts complex have ample space for future expansion, but the Octagon could be occupied by the Family Justice Courts, which also require expanding its facilities. This way, the two buildings could form a judiciary hub and operate as an integrated entity, saving time and resources. CPG worked with the State Courts during the feasibility studies stage to do various test fit designs for the new State Court complex to develop its planning parameters and assess the suitability of the Havelock Square site for the new complex.

In 2011, using the information and simulation results from the feasibility studies, CPG formulated a brief with the client and assisted in organising a two-stage Open Design Competition to call for a design of a new State Courts complex. Serie + Multiply Consultants Pte Ltd emerged as the winner. The design was developed in collaboration with CPG as the Principal Consultant and Architect. Civil & Structural Engineers and Mechanical & Electrical Engineers from CPG worked with the architectural team, further supported by Project Management firm PM Link, which planned and coordinated the construction.

The State Courts Towers is designed to be highly open and visible to the public. Two architectural strategies achieve this. First, the building is split into two slender towers connected by link bridges. The front tower accommodates courtrooms, and the back tower the judges’ chambers and staff’s offices. This architectural move not only brings light deep into the building but helps keep the circulation of the three primary user groups – Judges, Persons-in-Custody, and the Public separate.

The second strategy is to place the courtroom boxes onto large open “Court Trays”. These trays are not only of different heights to fit courtrooms of different sizes but also completely open – there is no glazed facade around the tower. Instead, each tray accommodates a lush garden terrace that filters the tropical sun and allows views over the city. The court tower as a result, appears light, open and welcoming.

Without any external glazed facade, the State Courts Towers appears visibly open and is seen as a metaphor for a fair and transparent judicial system.