Construction of Saint Lucia’s new Halls of Justice reached a major milestone last week, when crews poured the first section of foundation for the Annex Building, which will house six new criminal courts.
The foundation represents months of careful planning and advanced engineering. Before any construction could begin, leading engineering experts from across the Eastern Caribbean conducted extensive studies of the ground beneath the building site, drilling deep into the earth to understand the soil conditions and bedrock formation below.
Based on these studies, engineers reportedly designed a robust foundation system combining specialized deep piles with a thick concrete base. The piles, installed using an advanced drilling technique called Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piling, extend an average of 21 meters (69 feet) underground—roughly the height of a seven-story building—reaching all the way down to solid rock.
Last week’s concrete pour created the first section of the one-meter-thick (3.3-foot) reinforced concrete slab that will sit atop these piles, forming a structurally sound platform for the court building above. The pour required 155 cubic meters of concrete—enough to fill approximately 22 no. standard concrete mixer trucks.
“This foundation is built to last for generations,” said Rishi Koonoo, Project Manager. “The Halls of Justice will serve the community for decades to come, and everything starts with getting the foundation right.”
The Annex Building’s six criminal courts will provide much-needed expansion of Saint Lucia’s judicial facilities, improving access to justice for citizens across the island.
Construction continues on schedule, with additional foundation pours planned in the coming weeks.
Innovation is a hallmark of the Halls of Justice project, evident not only in its advanced design and construction techniques, but also in its financing structure. The developer -THEMIS Holdings Limited, provides all loan collateral for the EC$143 million development, ensuring no financial risk to taxpayers. At the end of the 12-year lease period, full ownership of the facility will transfer to the Government of Saint Lucia for $1.00.