CITATION
Mills B. Lane Justice Center • Reno, Nevada The Reno Municipal Courts and the District Attorney’s Office was programmed as an addition to the existing Washoe County Justice Courts in anticipation of a future mandate by the State requiring the consolidation of the Municipal and Justice courts. Accordingly, the resulting new Mills B. Lane Justice Center had to reconcile the structures and operations of the existing courts with the new District Attorney offices and Municipal courts. This eight-story, 160,000 square foot complex now houses six courtrooms and combines all operations of the District Attorney’s office under one roof. The client’s primary design objective was to convey to the community a vision of public service, human dignity, permanence, equality in treatment, flexibility, and hope. While the design team addressed the challenges of the very limiting site, the court’s focus was ensuring the seamless integration of the new facility with the existing court facility. Both City and County Courts assumed that operating budget savings would result from the sharing of court security, custodial, and utility services, as well as savings from the shared use of existing public waiting areas, restrooms, and wayfinding space. Community support for the project was based substantially on the court’s commitment to reducing these costs and ensuring convenient public access to the new complex. The new Justice Center complements and harmonizes with the existing fabric of the downtown cityscape. The building is located on a very compact site, and in response to this site constraint, a single point of entry was designed serving both buildings. This shared-use entry has created an identifiable
194
address on Sierra Street that has helped greatly with wayfinding. It also allowed for the consolidation of security screening functions, which resulted in significant cost savings to Washoe County and the City of Reno. Incorporating artwork into the project was also a challenge as the space program did not allow for a formal gallery area. Instead, artwork was integrated directly into the building materials. A local artist created a mural on the floor of the main entrance lobby, and Washoe County School District students participated in a contest to design a large glass installation located on the landing of the facility’s main staircase. The project demonstrates that, through community involvement and collaboration, co-location of justice services can occur in a way that supports local redevelopment, enhanced access to justice, more efficient court operations, and integration with local architecture.
Jury Comment The jury appreciated the sensitive and seamless design response to a very compact site. The
architect’s ability to develop a respectful accommodation of the original County Courts building in the final solution was noted during the jurors’ discussion and deliberations. There was consensus that the Court’s primary objectives of developing “a building that conveys to the community a building of public service, human dignity, permanence...” were met and exceeded. The Mills B. Lane Justice Center occupies its site comfortably and provides a dignified anchor for the resurgence of an economically challenged area within this community. This is a skilled and thoughtful solution to the kinds of problems many communities face as they try to deal with the difficulties posed by continued use of aging courthouses. The design has resulted in a functional, safe, and efficient environment exceeding current requirements for day-to-day courthouse operations and security. The level of stakeholder and community involvement underscores the civic pride and level of interest in their courthouse. All those involved with this project can be proud and deserve to be commended.
