Projects

Project: CBD Courts Project - District Court Building

Client: Department of Housing and Works for the Department of the Attorney General

Procurement: Public Private Partnership 

Stage: Operational

Preliminary planning for the District Court Building (DCB) began in 2002 with the preparation of a detailed business case by Appian Group.

In December 2004, following an interactive bid process led by Appian Group, the State Government entered into a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Western Liberty Group (a consortium established by ABN Amro with Brookfield Multiplex as the builder) to design, construct and maintain a new home for the District Court over a 27 year term.  The agreement includes the provision of key services including custodial services, user management and court security services, court recording and transcription services, facilities management and booking services.

The building's design was informed by a thorough brief developed by Appian Group with input from technical consultants, Department of the Attorney General staff and key users including the judiciary.

Completed in mid 2008, the DCB is situated at 500 Hay Street Perth and accommodates the District Court of Western Australia as well as a number of court support groups.  The building houses the State's first permanent high security courtroom and features an array of advanced technology and facilities to ensure the safety and security of all court users.  The design of the courtrooms also caters for Supreme Court criminal trials, particularly those of a high risk nature, to be conducted from the DCB when required.  

The DCB incorporates a range of facilities and design features aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of justice services, including:

• 24 courtrooms, of which 20 courtrooms are designed to cater for both criminal jury trials and civil trials;
• 5 hearings rooms and 18 mediation conference rooms;
• Separate circulation systems and building entry and egress points for the public, jurors, persons in custody, child and vulnerable witnesses, and the judiciary;
• The State's first permanent high security courtroom suite which enables separation of participants in the courtroom using in-built configurable glazed security screens;
• Modern technology systems for display of court listings and within courtrooms for video links to remote locations and electronic evidence display;
• Extensive use of glazing to enable natural light to permeate virtually all public areas, including the courtrooms;
• An innovative custodial facility that meets contemporary design requirements, maximizes security and safety whilst minimising operational and staffing costs;
• Airport style security screening;
• Connection to the existing Central Law Courts building opposite via underground pedestrian tunnels to enable the efficient movement of judiciary and persons in custody (this feature is integral to the District Court's long term future proofing strategy); and
• Improved amenities for court users including a café, children's play area and an open air terrace garden.

A key success factor in the development of the DCB was the preparation of a series of written design undertakings. These undertakings were an initiative of Appian Group which detailed the State's required design improvements to the design solution proposed as part of the procurement process. Workshops, mock-ups, extensive stakeholder consultation and service provider input throughout the design process also benefited the overall design outcome, resulting in significant improvements to the DCB's design. The vast majority of these improvements were achieved without additional cost to the client and can largely be attributed to the partnering approach taken by all parties.

In delivering the project, Appian Group successfully managed site creation activities including the procurement of two Road Closures to acquire land for amalgamation into the DCB site. The timing of completion of these activities was critical to enable the State to meet its obligations of providing access to site and thereby avoid significant financial penalties associated with any project delay.

The DCB was delivered in accordance with the programme included in Appian Group's 2002 business case submission. Construction commenced on 20 June 2005 and the facility opened on 3 June 2008.

The scope of the PPP also includes an upgrade and refurbishment of the custodial areas and the electronic security systems within the existing Central Law Courts building. These works are ongoing and scheduled for completion in October 2008 and third quarter 2009 respectively.

Read more about the District Court of Western Australia and the District Court Building.