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Freiburg Local Court – free case study | Sto [insights]

In dialogue with the existing buildings

Extension to Freiburg Local Court by Auer Weber

In the heart of Freiburg’s historic old town, a new building by Auer Weber extends the Local Court complex that has grown over decades. The compact volume is inserted into the courtyard of the listed perimeter block, links the existing wings and creates a new central reception and circulation area.
Material, colour and scale respond to the existing buildings. Deeply recessed window openings, a coarse porphyry-red render finish and carefully resolved details nevertheless mark the extension out as a building of the 21st century.

  • Two-storey glazed north facade of Freiburg Local Court with translucent yellow and blue colour fields by Jo Schöpfer

    Art in architecture
    The Berlin-based artist Jo Schöpfer added translucent yellow and blue colour fields to the two-storey glazed north facade. Another of his works consists of thin brass strips set as delicate inlays into the cherry wood wall panelling of the seating alcoves. Rather than forming sharp 90° angles, they feature recessed edges — a detail that also makes the corners considerably more resistant to damage.
    Photo: © Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

  • New main entrance to Freiburg Local Court in the courtyard with lettering above the doorway

    The new main entrance
    From the central courtyard, the spacious, light-filled entrance hall is accessed step-free via a security checkpoint.
    Photo: © Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

  • Site plan of Freiburg Local Court with the new building in the rear courtyard

    Urban integration
    The extension reorganises the court site without altering the existing streetscape. As an infill development within the courtyard of a perimeter block, it leaves the external scale of the block largely undisturbed, and the architectural intervention is not immediately apparent.
    Photo: © Auer Weber, Stuttgart / Munich, DE

  • Construction site in the inner courtyard of Freiburg Local Court with a crane between the existing wings

    Building in a tight courtyard
    The new building replaces three ageing individual buildings in the rear courtyard. Little room was left for the construction site between the existing wings
    Photo: © Auer Weber, Stuttgart / Munich, DE.

  • Extension to Freiburg Local Court with the lower side wings adjoining the existing buildings

    Transitions between old and new
    A four-storey rectangular main volume, flanked by two lower side wings, provides the transitions to the adjoining existing buildings. The main entrance to the Local Court is reached through a gateway from Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse.
    Photo: © Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

  • Porphyry-red render facade of the extension next to the light-coloured rendered surfaces of the existing building

    Connecting the old and new
    The coarse-grained, porphyry-red render finish echoes the light-coloured rendered surfaces and sandstone-red window reveals of the historic buildings. Floor-to-ceiling glazing of varying widths, arranged in a playful pattern, roots the building firmly in the 21st century.

    Photo: © Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

  • Ground plan, ground floor of the extension to Freiburg District Court with the five criminal courtrooms

    Five courtrooms, one grid
    The ground floor contains five criminal courtrooms, which directly adjoin the neighbouring buildings and receive daylight through skylights. The plan is based on a 1.30-metre grid with a wide central corridor.

  • Exterior wall system structure of the StoVentec R ventilated rainscreen cladding facade with StoSignature Rough 10

    Ventilated rainscreen cladding with rendering
    A durable yet forward-looking building envelope was chosen for the design. The building was constructed as a solid concrete structure with a ventilated rainscreen cladding system. A uniform render finish was applied over carrier boards fixed to the sub-construction, creating a seamless surface.

    Photo: © Sto SE & Co. KGaA, Stuehlingen, DE

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19 valuable project [insights] pages about the extension to Freiburg Local Court. Find out everything – from design to construction, to comprehensive detailed solutions.

Continuing to build in a historic context

In the mid-19th century, a district criminal court was built on Holzmarkt in Freiburg and was extended several times over the decades. In 2015, an architectural competition was launched, which Auer Weber won. Their new building replaces three ageing individual buildings in the rear courtyard.
A four-storey main volume and two lower building sections connect the existing wings. The new main entrance sits sheltered within the courtyard and leads into a central reception area. Scale, colour and material establish references to the historic complex, and the streetscape remains largely unchanged.

The design idea remains

The competition design initially proposed a facade of pigmented precast concrete elements. Due to rising cost pressures and space constraints on site, the need for an alternative approach became clear. One thing had to remain: a building that appears solid and protective rather than lightweight, presenting itself in large continuous surfaces.

The solution was a ventilated rainscreen cladding facade with render, using StoVentec R. Its render carrier boards made the deep reveals possible, set alternately at an angle of 18 degrees, and the render finish allowed large, seamless surfaces.
The change of facade system therefore did not break with the design — it became the tool for realising it.

Auer Weber Assoziierte

Auer Weber Assoziierte

As if from a single mould

Render, window profiles and window sills, Venetian blinds, parapet and plinth all carry the same colour: a porphyry red that picks up the historic window reveals of the existing buildings. Added to this is the coarse render texture. The result is a building that looks as if cast from a single mould.

  • Coloured render finish with a coarse texture

    Porphyry-red rendered surface with a coarse texture
    Photo: © Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

  • Sloping reveals

    Detail of the angled recesses in the reveals of the render facade
    Photo: © Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

  • Narrow parapet

    Detail view of the roof edge with the narrow, reddish-coated parapet sheeting
    Photo: © Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

  • Minimal plinth

    Close-up of the connection between the coarse render and the plinth flush with the facade
    Photo: © Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

  • Integrated Venetian blinds

    Detail view of the lintel underside with the concealed Venetian blind
    Photo: © Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

A building envelope with vision

The facade was also planned with its long-term use in mind. A 30 cm-thick layer of mineral wool insulation lies behind the render surface; stainless steel wall brackets and additional thermal separating elements reduce heat losses through the sub-construction. The facade construction also delivers excellent moisture management, ensuring that the render surfaces remain intact for many years to come. When dismantled at a later date, the render build-up, metal components and insulation can be separated from one another.

Corridor of Freiburg District Court under construction, looking towards the glazed north facade
© Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

“It’s not ultimately about the technology itself. After all, we don’t build a building around a piece of technology; rather, we need certain technologies to ensure that the building functions properly.”

Toni Felber, Auer Weber, Stuttgart / Munich, DE

Construction sign

Country
Germany
City
Freiburg
Year Completed
2024
Architect
Auer Weber Assoziierte, Stuttgart, DE
Owner
state office for property and construction in Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart, DE
Applicator
Hermann Emter GmbH, Freiburg, DE
Products
Ventilated rainscreen facade system (StoVentec R), rendered surface (StoSignature Texture: Rough 10), colour shade Porphyry red / 32332
Photos
Roland Halbe, Stuttgart, DE

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