section_path: Facilities/Headquarters
section_name: Headquarters
paragraph_text: Headquarters
  
  The official seat of the Court is in The Hague, Netherlands, but its proceedings may take place anywhere.: article 3
  
  The Court moved into its first permanent premises in The Hague, located at Oude Waalsdorperweg 10, on 14 December 2015. Part of The Hague's International Zone, which also contains the Peace Palace, Europol, Eurojust, ICTY, OPCW and The Hague World Forum, the court facilities are situated on the site of the Alexanderkazerne, a former military barracks, adjacent to the dune landscape on the northern edge of the city. The ICC's detention centre is a short distance away.
  
  The land and financing for the construction were provided by the Netherlands. The host state also organised and financed the architectural design competition, which started at the end of 2008. Three architects were chosen by an international jury from 171 applicants to enter into further negotiations. The Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen were selected to design the premises, since its design met all the ICC criteria, such as design quality, sustainability, functionality and costs.
  
  The barracks were demolished from November 2011 to August 2012. In October 2012 the tendering procedure for the general contractor was completed and the combination Visser & Smit Bouw and Boele & van Eesteren ("Courtys") was selected.
  
  The building has a compact footprint and consists of six connected building volumes with a garden motif. The tallest volume with a green façade, placed in the middle of the design, is the Court Tower, which accommodates three courtrooms. The rest of the building's volumes accommodate the offices of the different organs of the ICC.
  
  From 2002 to late 2015, the ICC was housed in interim premises in The Hague provided by the Netherlands. Formerly belonging to KPN, the provisional headquarters were located at Maanweg 174 in the east-central portion of the city.