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Stuff from Johannesburg

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Constitution Hill: Architecture

In a masterstroke of symbolic architecture, the Constitutional Court was built directly onto the site of the former Awaiting Trial Block. During its construction, the prison block was demolished, but its bricks were salvaged and used to build the new court’s interior walls. This was a deliberate choice to show that the very materials once used to imprison people and violate their rights are now used to protect them. The court’s design is based on the concept of Lekgotla—the traditional African practice of seeking justice under a tree. Inside the foyer, slanting columns mimic tree trunks, and light filters through “leaves” in the ceiling to create a dappled effect on the floor.