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Courts
Courts
Elevate the human experience through design.
INTRODUCTIONDLR Group believes integrated design is the practice of early collaboration in order to produce sustainable design excellence.
At the core of an integrated design firm are collaborative, interdisciplinary teams composed of all project life cycle stakeholders. These teams champion true collaboration, open information sharing, shared risk and reward, value-based decision making, and proficient use of technology to elevate design. The outcome is sustainable design of a high performance building for a sustainable future.
RECOGNITION
BD World Architecture
BD World Architecture
BD World Architecture
ARCHITECT Magazine 2012
Architectural Record 2015
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Building Design + Construction
BD World Architecture
AIA ACEC ASHRAE ASID CEFPI DBIA IIDA NSBA SCUP ICSC McGraw-Hill
Building Design + Construction
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SERVICESENGINEERINGMEP
Structural
Energy
INTERIORSProgramming
FF&E
Branded Environments
ARCHITECTUREIntegrated Design
BIM Modeling
Architecture 2030
PLANNINGMaster Planning
Space Planning
Facilities Assessment
OPTIMIZATIONCommissioning
Energy Modeling
Energy Master Planning
SUSTAINABILITY
signatory (out of 165 firms) to the AIA 2030 Commitment. Firms commit to steer the industry to achieve net-zero design and construction for all buildings by the year 2030.
of those 165 firms to submit our Sustainability Action Plan for meeting the Commitment targets.
DLR Group is a member of the United States Green Building Council, with one of the highest numbers of LEED Accredited staff (as a percentage of total staff) amongst large firms.
DLR Group believes in Architecture 2030 and is an adopter of the 2030 Challenge as a critical target for design and construction.
We’re helping lead the design and construction industry toward achieving carbon neutrality by the year 2030.
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1st
DLR Group is an initial signatory to the China Accord – a commitment to plan and design all cities, towns, developments and buildings in China to low carbon/carbon neutral standards.
BRAND PROMISE
HOW WE DO IT
WHEN WE LISTEN WE LEARN.The client knows it.
There is trust.
You feel it.
WHEN WE DELIVER THERE ARE NO OBSTACLES.Only solutions.
Clients are championed.
Teammates are celebrated.
Everyone wins.
WHEN WE DESIGN A DREAM BECOMES REALITY.There is collaboration.
Great things happen.
Elevate the human experience through design.
listen.DESIGN.deliver
REACHDLR Group provides architecture, engineering, planning, interior design, and building optimization to meet the unique needs of our clients in locations around the globe. DLR Group operates with a business structure and a culture of interoffice workload sharing. The people with whom you work are directly backed by the firm’s entire resources, enabling us to immediately and effectively scale our teams to meet your needs.
Office LocationsChicago Colorado Springs Denver Des Moines Honolulu Houston Kansas City Las Vegas Lincoln Los Angeles Minneapolis Orlando Omaha PasadenaPhoenix PortlandRiversideSacramentoSeattleTucsonWashington, DCShanghai Dubai
Project LocationsAzerbaijan Canada China Costa Rica India KenyaQatar Saudi Arabia UAE
COURTSDLR Group Justice+Civic design experts don’t just follow trends – we test and set new benchmarks for excellence. We dig deeper than the simple question of “What kind of facility do you need?” We partner with federal, state and county officials, and with local agencies to pose the critical questions that define the spirit of justice architecture.
• How do we approach this community’s social challenges?
• What solutions create the greatest benefit to society?
• How should we balance community-based directives with evidence-based practices?
• How does the design of a contemporary judicial system respect traditional images of justice?
The challenge facing court designers is an efficient delivery of function and security that does not overwhelm the individual’s experience within our vital public spaces. These facilities must maintain the dignity of the courtroom through a sense of openness and accessibility that enhances the perception of a proper judicial setting. Our approach to courts design integrates smart, sustainable practices into the fabric of today’s high-security profile. We’re committed to the planning and uncompromised design excellence deserving of a forum of justice.
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COURTS EXPERTSDave Boehm, Global Courts Leader PHOENIX
Darrell Stelling SACRAMENTO
Martin Berglund OMAHA
Jake Davis CHICAGO
Bill Valdez SEATTLE
Ronok Nichols ORLANDO
Tim Gibson ORLANDO
Andy Cupples LOS ANGELES
Todd Orr ORLANDO
Ken Jandura WASHINGTON, DC
Penny Moody ORLANDO
listen.DESIGN.deliver®
DAVE BOEHM
BILL VALDEZ
DARRELL STELLING
TIM GIBSON
MARTIN BERGLUND
JAKE DAVIS
ANDY CUPPLES
TODD ORR
KEN JANDURA
PENNYMOODY
RONOK NICHOLS
Client: Administrative Office of the Courts
Location: Hanford, CA
Design Achievement:Within the constructed landscape, the new Hanford Courthouse makes a unique statement while harmonizing with its immediate surroundings. Bordered by single-family neighborhoods to the north and an undeveloped parcel to the south, the site remains within walking distance of the County government center. DLR Group's design situates the building in a connected relationship with surrounding facilities while taking advantage of views to the mountains, and creates a clear pathway to the entry encouraging public procession into the building. The entry lobby serves the building in a central location at the atrium, while the monumental stair rises through all four stories allowing light to come into the middle of the building and all courtrooms. This four-story space provides a referential interior space, but links the users to the outside with views through the building and landscape beyond.
County of Kings Superior Court
Scope Summary:The 144,000 SF courthouse is organized around four courtrooms per floor, with judges' chambers and other services strategically located to provide private access to courtrooms. The building is placed near the southeast corner of the site in proximity to an existing jail. This orientation takes advantage of views to the mountains from all north facing offices while minimizing direct views of the jail. This relationship allows for the two buildings to connect by extending an existing underground tunnel. The design team oriented the building to reduce heat loads in the summer and allow full sun during the winter to support the overall energy efficiency goals of the project. A partial basement houses the central holding facility accessed only by the northwest stair, with secured elevators separating the public and staff from in-custody individuals being moved from the jail tunnel into the courtrooms. DLR Group provided planning, programming, architecture and engineering services for this project.
Client: Pueblo County
Location: Pueblo, CO
Design Achievement:The new Pueblo County Courthouse is one of Pueblo's significant civic structures and a jewel in the Colorado Judicial system. DLR Group's design replaces an aging 60's courthouse re-energizing the downtown's commercial district, serving as a symbol of Pueblo's earlier history, recalling its cultural heritage and vitality. The selected site in Pueblo was an abandoned railway route and required environmental cleanup, which was completed by the County during early design stages. Sustainable features for the facility include lighting control systems, evaporative cooling and heating and cooling controllability, urban brownfield site redevelopment and alternative transportation.
Pueblo County Judicial Center
Scope Summary:The 182,350 SF five-story building houses 16 district, ceremonial and first appearance magistrate courtrooms along with Clerk of Court, jury assembly and county probation offices. The secure basement level includes central holding and booking. The new judicial facility will provide more space and additional courtrooms to the County, and incorporates memorable goals for the center including creation of a high performance facility, daylighting for all spaces, and an open and inviting balance between function and civic presence, with an iconic look. DLR Group provided architecture design.
Client: City of Everett
Location: Everett, WA
Design Achievement:The new Everett Municipal Court revitalizes the image of city government in Everett, Washington. DLR Group's design celebrates the Northwest and honors the unique history and culture of the City of Everett while retaining a consistent visual identity with an existing civic campus. The new Everett Court facility is conceptualized as the gateway to the city campus, with a public courtyard serving as a primary feature for encouraging public connection to the function of the courts. A glass entry lobby serves as the feature design element, establishing the civic nature of the building and setting itself apart from other commercial buildings in the area. Creating greater range of vision through a focus on transparency within the building successfully merges the requirements for safety with the overall design philosophy.
Everett Municipal Court
Scope Summary:The new 25,000 SF Everett Municipal Court replaced an existing building which had been ill-suited for judicial operations for more than 20 years. The new building houses two standard diversified docket courtrooms capable of jury trials and 100 person galleries. The single-story building includes an open parking area containing the building services, in-custody vehicular sallyport and parking for judges and police. Glass frontages serve to demonstrate the engagement of courts in civic life, while internal lobby artwork that is visible from the street offers visual appeal for the court operations. Designed to stand as a long-lasting landmark of the Everett civic campus, the building uses materials which are expected to endure, both stylistically and structurally, with the lifetime of the building, a minimum of 50 years. The project is targeting LEED Gold certification through the use of sustainable design elements including daylighting, the creation of optimized mechanical systems, and intelligent material selection. DLR Group provided planning, architecture, engineering, and interior design services.
Client: California Administrative Office of the Courts
Location: San Andreas, CA
Design Achievement:As part of the initial planning sessions for Calaveras County's San Andreas Courthouse, DLR Group helped define goals and key expectations rooted in the expression of the courthouse as a representation of democracy and a place of importance in the local community. The unique rural context, set among delicate oak woodlands and natural topography, was also a source of inspiration. A small archaeological site with Indian grinding stones links the parcel to an earlier time. This historical connection and views to the Sierra foothills beyond became an integral part of how the design team began to think about the building. In orientation, form, materials, and details the facility is a gesture toward this place and time, layered with elements of the past, and the dignity and honor associated with courthouses.
Calaveras County San Andreas Courthouse
Scope Summary:The base of this 44,644 SF building is symbolic of the natural surroundings. Mitigating the extreme grade changes, free flowing and organic but weighted and grounded in its materiality, the building base becomes the foundation from which the upper floors spring. The clerk of the court, jury assembly, and the court-support offices are housed on the first level. These components are the foundation and support network to the court system. The upper level of the building is ordered and balanced. Here the courtrooms are expressed in juxtaposition against the base. Just as the court system provides order and guidance to our changing society, this literal interpretation provides a resolution to the building massing. At the roof line the four courtroom volumes are expressed against a datum of metal which is symbolic of the mountains beyond as they rise above the horizon. DLR Group provided planning, programming, architecture, and building optimization services.
Client: GSA Region 4 - Southeast Sunbelt
Location: Orlando, FL
Design Achievement:Opened in 1975, an aging George C. Young Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse needed more than a facelift. The six-story, Late Modern structure had fallen to second-class status and desperately needed a strategic modernization to serve the evolving needs of its constituents and meet more stringent code and security standards. DLR Group's design made responsible use of public investment and achieved high design quality through an elegantly simple exterior addition in combination with clarifying interior renovations. The new exterior tower reorients the building to address an adjacent park and elevate it as a civic space. The tower also creates a new, iconic architectural identity for the building in alignment with its existing character. Interior renovations establish a new, dignified procession through clearly defined and organized spaces.
George C. Young Federal Building Renovation
Scope Summary:The phased approach for this 202,000 SF renovation essentially stripped the building down to its core and shell. The scope included a full exterior restoration and new glazing, comprehensive HVAC upgrades renovations to achieve sustainability targets and LEED Gold certification, a new entry pavilion and stair/elevator tower, and a reorientation of the entry and procession sequence. The interior design added four new bankruptcy courtrooms and corresponding judges' chambers, and new spaces for the Clerk of Court and U.S. Attorney. DLR Group provided planning, architecture, engineering and interiors services.
Client: City of Henderson
Location: Henderson, NV
Design Achievement:This expansion to the Robert A. Swadell Justice Facility for the City of Henderson provides much needed trial space and growth for the agencies that support the judicial process. DLR Group's design draws upon the contemporary vocabulary of the existing structure and allows it to flourish as the expansion transitions from the regular rhythm of the courtroom module to the more modern office component. This change in the building program is marked by both a change in the exterior detailing and building massing, with a glass-enclosed stair tower acting as the hinge point between these two components.
Henderson Justice Center
Scope Summary:This new 44,000 SF building expansion includes four new courtrooms and five judicial chambers, as well as office space for the clerk of court, city attorney, and court programs. Also part of the project is the design and planning of a three-level parking structure and site planning for approximately 250 spaces of surface parking at the back of the site. This project was completed in association with Carter Burgess. DLR Group was the Design Architect.
Client: GSA Region 10 - Northwest/Arctic
Location: Eugene, OR
Design Achievement:The Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse is a clear example of the potential in the General Services Administration (GSA) Design Excellence Program. It represents a new generation of federal courthouses that are redefining the architectural values and expression of the Federal Judicial Branch. This DLR Group / Morphosis collaboration engages visitors in a symbolic narrative of movement beginning at a classic entry stair and portico, past a feature waterfall, into a soaring sunlit atrium space and, ultimately, up a formal grand staircase to the courtroom level. This space includes a grand hall offering panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, rivers, and landscape. The Morse United States Courthouse was recognized with an AIA Design Excellence Special Recognition Award, and a Progressive Architecture design award from ARCHITECT magazine.
Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse
Scope Summary:This courthouse was the GSA's first LEED Gold Certified new construction project. The 272,000 SF facility includes six courtrooms, associated chambers, and ancillary spaces. The first two floors above grade are composed of a glass-clad structure containing administrative offices that support the functions of the courthouse above. This portion of the building provides a plinth for the upper floors formed by three individual buildings, or pavilions. Each steel-skinned pavilion houses a pair of courtrooms and its respective chambers and support spaces. DLR Group was the Architect of Record and provided engineering services and construction administration for this project.
Client: Alachua County (FL)
Location: Gainesville, FL
Design Achievement:The new criminal courthouse for Alachua County embodies the dignity and honor inherent to the American courthouse, but also makes a notable and sympathetic civic addition to the urban fabric of downtown Gainesville. DLR Group's design focuses on creatingn timeless exterior architecture that integrates the surrounding context, while still distinguishing the courthouse from the aesthetic of the neighboring commercial buildings. To mitigate the scale of the courthouse, the mass is broken down into three volumes to reflect the functions of the building. It allows it to step down as it approaches the street's edge, aligning itself with the surrounding building heights. The largest component is the four-story courts tower housing the courtrooms and their direct support operations. A separate, low wing provides the necessary space for judicial chambers with proximity to the courtroom sets. The third element is the two-story entrance pavilion, which clearly defines the public point of entry and offers ample queuing space before proceeding through security screening. The resulting asymmetrical ‘Z' shaped plan, linking the tower to low wing and entry pavilion, creates a powerful urban space and entry forecourt. The plaza not only allows the tower to reinforce the urban edge, but also establishes a clear entry procession.
Alachua County Courthouse
Scope Summary:The scope of work for the new 121,800 SF courthouse included all the components for a criminal courthouse, including 11 courtrooms, a small video arraignment courtroom, 12 judges' chambers, jury assembly room, grand jury room, sally port, and central holding. The high volume courts are located on the first floor on each side of a central holding area, allowing large volume movement of individuals in-custody to these courtrooms for case management and arraignment cases. The court clerk's office, which receives substantially less visitor traffic, is on the fourth floor. In an attempt to solve the county's operational issues of having two courts buildings, the new criminal courts facility brings the Clerk of the Court criminal operations, a portion of the court-reporting department, and staff from court administration. Separate entrances, screening areas, and elevators for visitors and staff are part of the overall building security enhancements. DLR Group provided planning and architecture services.
Client: Highlands County
Location: Sebring, FL
Design Achievement:Located in historic downtown Sebring, Florida, the Highlands County Courthouse typifies the American courthouse on the green, reinforcing an important icon of our democratic system of government. This fine example of neo-classical revival architecture, built in 1923, served the County well but by the turn of the century was ready for expansion and renovation. DLR Group's design gives careful attention to a four-story addition to ensure that the massing and exterior articulation are compatible with the existing structure, while providing the addition with its own identity. Although the addition reciprocates the base/middle/top organization of the original building, it also expresses the functional part of its program by allowing the courtrooms, jury deliberation rooms, mechanical spaces, and the stair towers to be articulated clearly in plan. The connection between the old and new was intentionally minimized using a glass curtain wall gasket where a simple bridge slips through the columns of the former rear portico. The design also enablesappropriately separate circulation paths for security. The main entrance of the courthouse remains through to the historic courthouse, where the public enters the building. In-custody defendants enter through the rear for easy access from the jail and staff or judges come through the stairwell or elevator.
Highlands County Courthouse
Scope Summary:The scope comprised renovation and restoration work on the existing courthouse, and a 35,000 SF addition. Containing four courtrooms with their attendant holding cells and jury deliberation rooms, the addition also houses jury assembly at the lowest level and six judges' chambers on the uppermost floor. The new addition contains elevators and exit stairs to serve both itself and the existing building. Exterior materials included colored masonry, limestone, and brushed metal trim. Security measures were enhanced with technology upgrades. In addition to the courthouse project, DLR Group was lead planner in developing a master plan to accommodate the growing inmate population for the County Jail. This Master Plan allows for an increase in the rated bed capacity to 500 with 200 new beds, while impacting the staffing pattern by less than 14 percent of their present requirements, increasing the efficiency by 28 percent. DLR Group provided master planning, architecture, and interiors services.
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Elevate the human experience through design.
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