On a prominent triangular site in this West Bank town of 50'000 inhabitants, the ensemble features two buildings, one for administrative facilities and the other containing ten courtrooms; the two are accessed from broad stone stairs that give on to an open urban plaza. The concrete structure employed stone facing for the outer formwork. In the administrative building, the deep-set windows are shielded from direct sunlight by angled stone-faced frames; the courthouse building features galvanised, powder-coated steel screens that filter direct sunlight. The two buildings are arranged to form a planted courtyard, and circulation between the two is through two glass-walled corridors that are open on the ground level. Finely-detailed stonework characterises both buildings and the courtyard and plaza areas.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture