Études de cas
Justice réparatrice
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Author of case study: Marcela Torres Molano
Geopolitical location of space:
Cra. 7 #63-44
Bogotá, Cundinamarca
Extant? Yes
Architect:
Architect unknown
The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (in Spanish: Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, JEP) has been in force in Colombia since March 2017, when it was approved in the Senate. It handles crimes committed during the armed conflict up until the signature of the Colombian Peace Accord in 2016.
The JEP is the Colombian transitional justice mechanism through which FARC members, members of the Colombian military forces, and third parties who have participated in the Colombian armed conflict are investigated and put on trial. It is a space for the encounters of offenders, survivors, and judges of the internal conflict. Housed in a repurposed building, the JEP was created to ensure the victims’ rights to justice and contribute to reparation.
Yes, the JEP is the main court for transitional justice in Colombia. It is the legal mechanism in charge of investigating the crimes committed during the conflict. Its spaces are used for encounters and public releases of the official reports. The court is focused on the most serious and representative crimes of the conflict, including the crimes committed by military forces and government officers. Within the scope of the court’s mandate, 38 magistrates will handle the crimes of more than 6.000 offenders, a process which includes encounters with survivors.
Yes, the rooms where encounters take place have been designed specifically to support active listening and eye contact between participants.
Perpetrators of serious crimes, including FARC members, military personnel, government officials, and survivors.
The official reports produced by the JEP and certain encounters are made public and are used to foster social dialogue on truth, reparation, and non-repetition of the conflict.
Building Torre Squadra
Architect: Unknown
Built area: 30,000 m2
Office area: 16,000 m2
Floor area: 1,400 m2 per floor
Lobby: 600 m2
It is a 12-storey building in a commercial area of the city. It is a building of contemporary architecture with glass façades, a terrace and a heliport on the last floor. It has five underground floors for parking with a capacity of 340 cars. On the second and third floors they have built five special courtrooms with a circular shape that allows eye contact between offenders and survivors. According to the executive secretary of the JEP, the circle shape has a symbolic meaning in comparison to the regular courtroom; it allows both the responsibility of the offenders and the emotions of survivors to be seen. The circle shape grants an opportunity for dialogue. “Architecture should never segregate or inhibit this opportunity…; therefore forgiveness and reconciliation processes must happen in a proper space” (Semana, 2018).
The building includes a technological system that allows the live presentations of encounters all over the Colombian territory to ensure the participation of all survivors and population. It also has sound-controlled rooms exclusively for survivors, who might need a space for reflection. It has one room dedicated to truth recognition, a room for investigating political crimes, and a sentencing room.
The JEP occupies a rented space (at a cost of approx. 430,369 USD per month). This has become a topic of controversy in the country. Political opponents of the JEP have been using the building cost as a reason to try to halt the work under its mandate.
Every courtroom has been decorated with institutional images, and judges must wear a special uniform of the JEP. From the outside, however, the building does not distinguish itself from the architectural style of the other buildings in the commercial sector where it is located. Moreover, it does not have any special insignia identifying it as Special Justice for Peace. The building’s location was a key consideration; being centrally located makes it easily accessible by public transportation.
est auteure, conférencière, chroniqueuse et podcasteuse dans les domaines de l'architecture et des arts décoratifs. Elle termine sa maîtrise en histoire de l'art à l'Université Concordia, à Montréal, et détient un baccalauréat en commerce avec une majeure en marketing de la John Molson School of Business. Elle a étudié la psychologie industrielle à Los Angeles, en Californie. Sicotte est l'auteure de deux ouvrages publiés sur le design (2015, 2018) aux éditions Cardinal.
est candidate colombienne au doctorat au Département d'histoire de l'art de l'Université Concordia. Elle a une formation en design architectural et en activisme communautaire et détient une maîtrise en bâtiment et design urbain de la Bartlett School of Architecture à Londres, en Angleterre. Ses intérêts se concentrent sur l'art socialement engagé, les mouvements sociaux, l'activisme collaboratif dans des scénarios post-conflit, l'art produit collectivement et l'art produit en relation avec le cadre bâti.
est candidat au doctorat en sciences humaines à l'Université Concordia. Ses recherches portent sur l'agentivité spatiale, l'esthétique sociale, les récits des jeunes et les représentations graphiques de la mémoire urbaine. Il a publié sur la relation entre les enfants, le jeu et l'espace public à Carthagène, en Colombie. Il a également travaillé comme éditeur sur des projets littéraires, dont Territorio Fértil, qui a reçu le prix María Nelly Murillo Hinestroza pour la littérature afro-colombienne.
est professeure agrégé et Chaire de recherche du Canada en architectures de justice spatiale (niveau 2) à l'École d'architecture Peter Guo-hua Fu de l'Université McGill, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Ses intérêts de recherche comprennent le logement à loyer modique et le design participatif, la protestation civile et le design urbain, ainsi que les paysages des campus et la race. Ses publications incluent le livre co-édité, Orienting Istanbul (2010) et le livre (auteure unique), Istanbul Open City (2018).
est artiste et professeure d'histoire de l'art à l'Université Concordia. Ses travaux portent sur les femmes et l'histoire du cadre bâti, les paysages urbains, la recherche-création et l'histoire orale. Elle a publié sur l'histoire spatiale du mouvement pour le suffrage des femmes, l'art public, les jardins et les politiques du changement urbain. En plus de ses recherches sur les espaces de justice réparatrice et transitionnelle, elle dirige un projet d'histoire orale sur les mémoires urbaines des montréalais et montréalaises.
est un ancien titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en interprétation de l'histoire orale (2016-2021). Il est professeur agrégé au Département de théâtre de l'Université Concordia et codirecteur du Centre d’histoire orale et de récits numérisés (CHORN) de Concordia. Sa subvention de la Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation en infrastructure lui a permis de créer le Laboratoire d'écoute active (ALLab) en 2018. Basé au CHORN, l'ALLab est un centre de recherche-création de premier plan pour le pouvoir transformateur de l'écoute.
