OMA completes the Palais de Justice de Lille, a hexagonal courthouse

OMA has finished the Palais de Justice de Lille, a new home for the city's high and district courts commissioned by France's Ministry of Justice. Its starting point is the neighbour: the building sits in green landscape beside the star-shaped fortification that the military engineer Vauban built in 1667. OMA answered with a sharp, hexagonal form, each face finished in coloured glass, meant to echo the fortress's angles.

Inside, the building stacks up in three parts above a base that is open to the public. A plinth holds the major courtrooms; a triangular tower rises from it with the smaller ones; and a faceted ring of offices wraps the tower, helping pull daylight into the middle. OMA says each part has its own material character to make finding your way easier, while light finishes and furnishings tie them together, with the aim of a court that feels welcoming and, in the studio's words, "free of the intimidation".

Outdoor spaces are spread across all three volumes, including a public plaza at ground level and a roof garden looking out over the city. OMA won the competition back in 2018, and the project was first due in 2023. Worth a look for anyone visiting Lille's citadel, since the two are designed to be read together.

Our summary of a story from Dezeen, published 19 October 2026. Read the original