Courtrooms and Shaded Walks at the Integrated Court Complex, Mahoba

Mahoba sits in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, a landscape of long history, within reach of Khajuraho and Kalinjar Fort. The Integrated Court Complex brings the district's Courts together on a Campus of 51.90 acres: 37 Courts, chambers for advocates, a residential enclave for judges, and the civic services that a busy Court needs around it. ARCH-EN DESIGN planned the complex for the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

Four kinds of visitor

A Court Campus serves very different people: judges, advocates, litigants and the general public. The Master Plan gives each group its own zone, so that the daily movement of each runs clearly and without crossing where it should not.

The Court building rises LG+UG+5 and holds the 37 courtrooms, along with ADR facilities, record rooms, e-filing sections and waiting areas for those attending hearings. Beside it, a G+7 advocates' chamber block gathers the working life of the bar: offices for senior and junior advocates, a bar association hall, a canteen, medical facilities, a post office, and the small counters for copying and stamping that every Court depends on.

Homes for the judiciary

The residential enclave includes a residence for the District Judge, Type VI and Type V quarters and a recreation centre. The homes are planned for privacy and natural light, set apart from the activity of the Courts.

Climate and landscape

Every building is oriented along the north-south axis to make the most of daylight and natural ventilation. The project is targeting a GRIHA 3-Star rating, with solar power, efficient HVAC, low-flow plumbing fixtures and native planting. Rainwater is returned to the ground through more than 20 harvesting pits, and solar lights line the streets.

The landscape gives the Campus much of its character. Avenue planting and shaded walkways lead between buildings, roundabouts carry sculpture, and open courts give room to pause. Hard surfaces were chosen to reduce heat gain and let water soak into the ground. Seating pockets, children's play areas, places for meditation and tree-lined buffers make the grounds open and pleasant for everyone who comes.