Palais de justice de Pontoise, Courthouse in Pontoise, France

The Palais de justice de Pontoise is a courthouse designed by Henri Ciriani, inaugurated in 2004-2005. Its upper volume of pale concrete panels with rows of small square windows overhangs a recessed glass ground floor, where wide stone steps lead to doors marked "PALAIS DE JUSTICE". The exterior is clad in enamelled glass that takes on the colour of the sky.

The building was designed by architect Henri Ciriani and opened in 2005 as a modern judicial center for the Val-d'Oise department. Its construction marked the centralization of legal services into a contemporary structure.

The structure incorporates a north-south axis spanning 190 meters with a central pedestrian pathway that connects different sections of Pontoise.

The building is open on weekdays during daytime hours and functions both as a court facility and as a passable pedestrian space. The wide entrances and public pathways are accessible to visitors who want to navigate the area.

The building stands on a plot over 190 metres long, narrowing at its centre where the ground drops sharply; architect Henri Ciriani used this slope to make the courthouse a belvedere reached by a wide staircase. A pedestrian route crosses the site, so passers-by walk through the complex rather than around it.