Front elevation
PYRAMID OF JUSTICE
The proposed design for the new Supreme Court building aims
to express the majesty of the law and its clear link to the public realm. It anchors a terraced open-air plaza and
consists of a central pyramid centered between two equal wings of offices. The central pyramid shades a covered plaza
whose main feature is the En Banc Session Hall, sitting above the Auditorium and
approached via escalators and a grand set of stairs.
The seal of the Supreme Court is a source of inspiration for
our proposal. It contains images of the
Ten Commandments as well as of scales in balance. The seal expresses the values of precedence
and fairness in relation to the exercise of the law.
The pyramid thus suggests the image of the mountain from
which Moses descended carrying the Ten Commandments, which are valuable to both
Christians and Muslims and are symbolized by the ten round columns at the main
entrance at the base of the pyramid.
The equality of the two wings symbolizes the fairness of the
law, and the way that they frame the open plaza suggests that the fairness of
the law is meant to protect the people.
The response to the climate creates a Filipino sensibility
of diaphanous facades which, like the barong, helps to minimize heat gain on
interior surfaces.
The view from Campus Avenue is of a scale that befits the
institutional and commercial nature of that neighborhood. The rear elevation suggests an abstracted
Bahay na Bato, suitable to the residential nature of the neighborhood it faces.
Rear elevation
Entrance plaza under central pyramid
Session Hall
Auditorium
Office of Associate Justice
.
