West Kowloon Law Courts Building

The West Kowloon Law Courts Building is a courthouse in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It sits at the junction of Tung Chau Street and Tonkin Street West, beside the elevated West Kowloon Corridor.

West Kowloon Law Courts Building
西九龍法院大樓
Construction as of June 2016
General information
StatusComplete
LocationSham Shui Po, Hong Kong
Coordinates22.33107°N 114.15328°E / 22.33107; 114.15328
Opened2016
CostHK$2.7 billion
ClientThe Judiciary
Technical details
Floor area60,320 square metres (649,300 sq ft)
Design and construction
DeveloperArchitectural Services Department
Services engineerSoutha Group
Main contractorShui On Construction
Website
https://www.judiciary.hk/en/home/index.html
West Kowloon Law Courts Building
Traditional Chinese西九龍法院大樓

History

The new building was proposed in 2009 to consolidate under one roof the Tsuen Wan Magistrates’ Courts, Small Claims Tribunal, Coroner’s Courts, Obscene Articles Tribunal, and other facilities.[1] It also addresses a shortfall in the number of available courtrooms.[2]

The contract for the design and construction of the courthouse was awarded to Shui On Construction in 2012.[3] The building was completed in 2016.[4]

The Small Claims Tribunal relocated to the new courthouse on 19 September 2016. The Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Courts followed on 28 December 2016, and was renamed the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts. The Coroner's Court and the Obscene Articles Tribunal moved on 16 January 2017.[5]

Description

The courthouse provides a total net operational floor area (NOFA) of about 16,500 square metres (178,000 sq ft). This figure does not include service areas like corridors, car parking, lobbies, balconies, etc.[1] The total floor area has been quoted as being about 60,000 square metres (650,000 sq ft).[6] It is much larger than a standard Hong Kong courthouse, and as such has been referred to as the "mega court" in local media.[6][7]

Transport

The new courts building is roughly equidistant to both Nam Cheong Station and Cheung Sha Wan Station of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR). It is about a 10 minute walk from both stations.[6]

References
  1. "31LJ – West Kowloon Law Courts Building" (PDF). Legislative Council. 8 February 2012.
  2. "LCQ8: Judicial manpower intake". Hong Kong Government. 30 May 2012.
  3. "Group Milestones". Shui On Group. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  4. Ma, Geoffrey (11 January 2016). "Everyone equal under the law". Information Services Department.
  5. "Relocation of Coroner's Court and Obscene Articles Tribunal". Hong Kong Government. 10 January 2016.
  6. Moy, Patsy; Chiu, Austin (25 February 2013). "Hong Kong to get mega court to pack in the masses". South China Morning Post.
  7. Yuen, Mark (1 March 2013). "Mega Court in Sham Shui Po Set to be Completed in 2015". HK Magazine.
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