Saltillo’s Ciudad Judicial: A Gebesa Furnishing Project
When a state completely redesigns how it administers justice, changing processes is only part of the work. It must also rethink the spaces where those processes take place. That is what happened in Saltillo, Coahuila, with the creation of Ciudad Judicial, a project that changed how the state’s judiciary operates. Gebesa had the opportunity to equip its different spaces.
Ciudad Judicial is more than a new building. It gives physical form to a new management model. Four floors, 680 workstations, and 14 courtrooms now bring judges, administrative staff, attorneys, and members of the public together in a setting designed for oral proceedings, collaboration, and efficient work.
A New Model for Administering Justice in Coahuila
For years, teams and spaces operated independently under a traditional model. It worked, but growth was expensive and inflexible. The buildings were more than 25 years old, and their enclosed cubicles no longer met the needs of today’s oral proceedings.
The redesign took a different approach: bring staff together in one place so judges could focus on hearings and writing decisions while a shared team handled other tasks. The aim was to use staff time more efficiently and improve both internal operations and public service.
To make the model work, the space and furniture had to meet its operational needs.
What Did the Client Need?
Gebesa’s task was more than furnishing another office. It was to translate a management reform into a coherent physical experience. Specifically, the project called for:
- Open spaces. Replace enclosed cubicles with open, agile, collaborative work areas, reserving private offices for roles that need them.
- Support oral proceedings. Design functional courtrooms with circulation, acoustics, and presence suited to a public, spoken process.
- Support daily operations. Provide 680 ergonomic, durable, dignified workstations for a team with demanding schedules.
- Make the setting more welcoming. Include break areas, dining spaces, and reception areas where people can spend time, not just work.
- Maintain an institutional identity. Create a consistent, restrained, modern visual language appropriate for a leading public institution.
The Gebesa Solution
Across four floors, each area was furnished with specific Gebesa product lines, combining function, ergonomics, and a consistent visual style. Here is how the project was organized:
Operational Areas: Open Collaboration with G-Bench
G-Bench was chosen for the areas with the most staff, in a Spanish finish with electric-blue details. These bench-style workstations allow teams to share services, use space efficiently, and communicate across teams while giving each person room to concentrate. They form much of the operating core of the new model: a furniture system that supports hundreds of people working together.
Private Offices: Focus with G-Connect
For roles requiring privacy, such as reviewing case files, meeting with third parties, or making sensitive decisions, private offices were fitted with the G-Connect line and its G-Connect round table, in Spanish and Oxford Gray finishes. The line is designed for individual spaces that combine a large work surface, storage, and a side table for brief meetings.
Executive Offices: Presence with Contempo
Executive offices were furnished with the Contempo line and its round table, in a Wenge finish. Contempo provides the presence and elegance required in a senior office without making the space feel crowded.
Courtrooms: 14 Spaces for Oral Proceedings
The 14 courtrooms were furnished with Gebesa executive seating designed to support long workdays ergonomically. They were arranged around the roles in an oral proceeding: judges, parties, legal representatives, and the public. Posture, sightlines, and an orderly room all matter when proceedings are spoken.
Meeting Rooms: Institutional Dialogue
For horseshoe-shaped meetings, the team selected the Bento line in Wenge Veneer, suited to deliberations where participants need to see and hear one another. Conventional meeting rooms received the Spanish Prime Table in a Spanish finish, a sturdy option for longer meetings.
Break and Dining Areas: Staff Well-Being
Furniture by Space
A summary of the furniture selected for each area:
| Space | Gebesa Product / Line | Finish(es) |
|---|---|---|
| Operational areas | G-Bench | Spanish · Electric Blue |
| Private offices | G-Connect + G-Connect round table | Spanish · Oxford Gray |
| Executive offices | Contempo + Contempo round table | Wenge |
| Break rooms | Prisma sofas · Seti chairs · Kalia tables | Spanish |
| Courtrooms | Executive seating | — |
| Meeting room (horseshoe) | Bento | Wenge Veneer |
| Meeting room | Spanish Prime Table | Spanish |
| Dining area | Lounge & Break | Oxford · Spanish |
| Reception | Filo | Wenge Veneer |
Finishes That Speak to the Setting
The project’s palette was deliberate. Spanish, a warm, neutral, medium-toned wood finish, was chosen as a connecting element because it adds calm without making the institution feel cold. Wenge, darker and richer, was reserved for executive and representative areas where a more formal tone serves a purpose. Oxford Gray and Electric Blue add energy without disrupting the overall look.
The Result
Today, Ciudad Judicial in Saltillo operates in a setting designed for its new model. Administrative and judicial teams collaborate in open spaces where cubicles once stood.
Behind the 680 workstations, 14 courtrooms, meeting rooms, dining areas, and reception areas is one guiding principle: furniture is part of the operation, not an accessory.
See the Project on Video
Hear this customer story from the people involved. Find the testimonial on Gebesa’s official YouTube channel under the title “Ciudad Judicial Saltillo Gebesa”.
Watch the Ciudad Judicial project video.
Is Your Organization Planning a Similar Project?
Gebesa supports every stage of a project, from needs assessment and area design to manufacturing, delivery, and installation. If your public or private organization is planning a renovation, expansion, or relocation, request a quote and let us discuss how to create a distinctive space for your team.
