A recent government media release said stakeholders met on July 9 to “discuss the design elements and layout of the Magistrate’s Court phase of the project”.

It further said the discussion centred around the “layout of courtrooms and offices, building occupancy, external and internal security, information technology requirements, traffic and parking requirements, and the provisions for judges’ quarters”.

Building to stand test of time

In the meantime, Deputy Governor David Archer, Jr who chaired the meeting said: “It remains important for the building to be designed and constructed in a way that stands the test of time, as opposed to focusing on something that is modern and trendy.”

“We have the perfect opportunity to construct something that is iconic to the Territory, but it must also serve the needs of all involved,” he added.

The project is slated to commence in the first quarter of 2021 and completed in 2022. The facility will swap locations with the Eslyn Henry Richez Learning Centre located a stone throw away.

The Halls of Justice is being funded by the BVI Government, the Caribbean Development Bank, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Commenting on the undertaking, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Recovery and Development Agency (RDA), Anthony McMaster said: “The architectural firm, Trojan Design and Development, Ltd. is responsible for the creation of the full set of designs including the engineering elements using the information gathered from the stakeholder consultation, which is essential to the effective layout and flow.”

He further said as soon as the “preliminary designs are completed, the RDA will re-engage the users to ensure that the design satisfies their requirements before completing the further outputs”.

The RDA will also be tasked to guide the project and coordinate the work for the design firm and the contractor.