European Court of Justice

At the start of the 1990s, the Court began to plan an ambitious construction project, prompted by both the need to vacate the Palais in due course because of the presence of asbestos and the need to prepare for the forthcoming major enlargement of the Communities. The project was not about simply constructing a new extension but about reviewing the entire complex of Court buildings so as to design a new Palais. The architectural design submitted by Dominique Perrault perfectly fulfilled these requirements. It comprises: a two-storey peristyle building called the 'Anneau' (literally, 'Ring' in English) in spite of its rectangular form, because it encircles the original Palais. The Anneau is designed to be a non-public area reserved for the work of the Judges and Advocates General along with their staff. The design includes the original Palais, preserved but remodelled, and two towers to be joined, eventually, by a third tower (text from www.curia.europa.eu).