CJ officiates at opening ceremony of West Kowloon Law Courts Building (with photos)
***********************************************************************************
The Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Geoffrey Ma Tao-li, officiated at the opening ceremony of the West Kowloon Law Courts Building (WKLCB) today (May 12).
Located at 501 Tung Chau Street, the WKLCB was constructed to meet the increasing demand for court services and to enhance the operational efficiency of the Courts and Tribunals accommodated there.
The construction of the WKLCB was proposed in 2009 and completed in 2016.
Comprising two tower blocks with a net operation floor area of 16 500 square metres, the building houses the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, the Small Claims Tribunal, the Coroner's Court and the Obscene Articles Tribunal. It has a total of 32 courtrooms and other support facilities, such as consultation rooms, waiting rooms and registries.
There are 16 courtrooms at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts. Among them, a 240 sq m mega court (Court 3) was specially built to facilitate hearings during which a large number of court users are anticipated.
The Small Claims Tribunal has 12 courtrooms and supporting facilities including consultation rooms, interview rooms, and new registration rooms for registration procedures which were previously done inside the courtrooms. A new Small Claims Tribunal Information Centre has also been set up to provide information and inquiry services on rules and procedures for potential litigants before a claim is filed.
The Coroner's Court has three courtrooms and supporting facilities including a new waiting room for the deceased's family. The Obscene Articles Tribunal has one courtroom equipped with advanced audio-visual facilities.
Different colour schemes have been used in the courtrooms of the Courts and Tribunals to distinguish them from each other. For example, green, a calming colour, was used at the Coroner's Court, whereas greyish blue, a cooling colour, was used at the Small Claims Tribunal.
All courtrooms, encased by 300-millimetre-thick concrete walls, are lined with sound-absorbing materials to provide good acoustics for court hearings. Natural daylight is provided to supplement the artificial lighting in every courtroom.
All courtroom layouts and public areas conform to barrier-free access requirements. Escalators help handle high pedestrian flows at the lower levels of the building, and electronic display boards provide court-related information including the daily cause lists.
"With the new building and modern facilities, we hope to continuously enhance our services to the court users," the Judiciary spokesman said.
Ends/Friday, May 12, 2017
Issued at HKT 19:00
Issued at HKT 19:00
NNNN
Photo
