The new Criminal Courts complex built adjacent to the Phoenix Park at a cost of €120m and covering 25.000 sq feet, is one of Dublin’s most impressive buildings, which will be used by many criminals over the coming years. The circular shaped building was designed by Dublin architects Henry J Lyons and took over 30 months to build and is a landmark that gives the impression of a Roman auditorium. The complex includes 22 state-of-the-art courtrooms and the new home to the Court of Criminal Appeal, Special Criminal Court, Central Criminal Court and the District Courts. The layout of the eleven-story building has been designed where suspects, victims, judges, lawyers, jurors, members of the public and the media will not meet until they enter a courtroom, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the world setting the trend for other courthouses. Facilities include video-conferencing, digital recording, and electronic display of evidence.
To ensure the highest security levels are achieved in such a building and to provide separation, privacy, security and protection of different court users such as witnesses, jurors, and the judiciary, Deedlock Standard electro-magnetic locks and bespoke brackets where chosen to function with the security system employed to ensure that movement around the building is fully controlled. Each of the EM locks on many occasions are controlled both sides of the door by proximity cards or biometric readers.