Speaking the Language of the Old Court: The High Court Annexe at Jabalpur

Some buildings are designed to stand out. The Annexe to the High Court of Madhya Pradesh was designed to belong. It sits inside the precinct of the historic High Court at Jabalpur, a building in the Indo-Gothic manner that has given the Court its image for generations, and the brief was simple to say and hard to do: give the Court the space it needs today without changing the feel of the place.

A tight site with a history

The land available was a narrow strip within the working Court Campus, occupied by older structures that had to be cleared before anything could be built. There was no open field to plan on, only a slot between existing buildings, roads and the daily life of the Court. The new building had to fit that slot, connect to the Court around it, and allow the Court to carry on working throughout.

Matching, not copying

This was less a design exercise than an act of listening. We studied the old Court for its rhythm and proportions, and the Annexe takes its language from it: a line of towers with pointed roofs marking the ends and the centre of the front, tall pointed-arch windows grouped in bays, round oculi set high in the wall, and an arcade at the base that gives shade and a human scale at the level where people walk in. Bands and cornices tie each floor back to the lines of the older building, so that the two read as members of one family.

The aim was never to make a replica. Seen from the precinct, the Annexe should feel as though it has always been part of the ensemble; seen up close, it is clearly a building of its own time.

A modern Court behind a familiar face

Behind the facade is a working Court building of two basements, a ground floor and eight upper floors. Each courtroom has the judge’s chamber, ante room and staff rooms beside it, and judges and the public reach them by separate corridors and lift cores, so that the two never need to cross. The building also holds a Court for the Chief Justice, a full Court meeting room, offices for the Registry, lounges for advocates, and an Auditorium for about 500 people.

• About 30 courtrooms, each with its own chamber and support rooms
• Separate routes and lift cores for judges and for the public
• An Auditorium, a multipurpose hall, and lounges and bar rooms for advocates
• Parking in two basements, keeping the precinct clear of cars

Continuity

The foundation stone was laid on 27 September 2023. If the Annexe succeeds, most people who walk through the precinct will not stop to ask which building is new. That is the point.