Located behind the existing Frank E. Moss Courthouse, the new 10-story, 410,000 sf district courthouse rests on a raised landscaped plaza. Surrounded by trees, it includes an informal public garden, nine district and five magistrate courtrooms, fourteen judges’ chambers, U.S. attorney suite, ceremonial courtrooms, and probation pretrial offices. It also has two underground parking levels. The new building also meets new perimeter security standards required in all new federal buildings as well as blast protection. The building is set back 50 feet from the street. The new courthouse addresses a few concerns of the old building, including the need for space, technology and security. The design allows copious amounts of day lighting to assist in energy saving standards. The 10-story atrium also contains a contemporary artwork of suspended hexagonal metal tubes on cables, which also helps reflect light. The building’s electrical system is 34 percent more efficient than a comparable building. The daylight harvesting adds an additional savings to the overall energy usage of the building. The structure was designed and constructed to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Project Requirements

• 2014 ENR Mountain States Best Projects Award
• 6,500 cu. yds. of Structural Lightweight Concrete used to reduce footing & foundation work, reduced dead loads to the steel structure and to improve fire ratings
• Gold LEED certified building
• The facility will be able to surpass industry standards by using 36% less energy than comparable buildings
• By using low flow plumbing fixtures the building achieves a 29% water savings per year
• The project used 20% recycled content and at least 20% local building materials
• The building uses innovative energy-saving technologies such as advanced mechanical systems, high-performance exterior enclosure, and natural daylight harvesting
• The daylight harvesting alone is projected to save an additional 4% of the energy on top of the current 32% savings