PINE RIVERS COURTHOUSE AND WATCH HOUSE

After the successful completion of the Caloundra Courthouse and Watch House, Guymer Bailey Architects was commissioned by the Department of Justice and the Attorney General (DJAG) to design the Pine Rivers Courthouse and Watch House located on a challenging site in the commercial hub of Strathpine.

The courthouse design includes two Magistrates Courts and chambers, supporting office areas, mediation facilities, registry counters and an open foyer. The secure watch house contains holding facilities, search rooms, and interview rooms. An existing storm water canal that ran through the site influenced much of the site planning and also motivated our value-adding decision to partially cover the canal with an entry podium.

In keeping with the DJAG’s philosophy of accessible, transparent and open justice facilities, the spacious entry promenade and open planned design is favourable to views and natural light and conveys an ethos of honesty and integrity. The complex also incorporates environmentally sustainable features including solar water heating, dual plumbing for the use of greywater collected from the site, and screened manipulation of natural light throughout the building.