CITATION
Seattle Federal Courthouse • Seattle, Washington Encompassing a full block on the edge of Seattle’s downtown core, the design for the United States Federal Courthouse reinterprets the building-type into the next generation of urban courthouses. Federal judges and court administrators were engaged in the programming and design process, actively challenging long-standing courthouse design precepts centered on stature and ceremony, and helping shift design goals toward equity, openness, and transparency. The resulting building reflects a meticulous attention to craft and beauty that instills a sense of democracy, dignity, and strength. The building massing strategy involves stacking the courtrooms in a tower, two per floor, minimizing the footprint and allowing for 1,000 percent more open space than local zoning code required. This massing provided open space on the southwest corner of the site for use as a large plaza with a grove of birch trees and a lily pond. Courtrooms are shared with each court floor containing three judicial chambers adjacent to two courtrooms. The courthouse is completely equipped with systems for audio/visual presentation, real time court reporting, video conferencing, court microphones, intercoms, and telephone communications. These systems are integrated with significant access to daylight to deliver a more engaging and effective environment. An image of openness is conveyed while preserving site perimeter security through the use of landscape buffers, courthouse steps, reinforced tree guards, and lowheight bollards designed as seating elements. The impact of security on the expansive public lobby is minimized with a reflecting pool public-art project, an invisible
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infrared security curtain, and metal detectors located internal to the lobby. Collaborative and flexible workspaces are provided and sized based on job function rather than status, and nearly everyone is located in open workstations. To support the variety of environments throughout the office areas and to fully encourage creativity, mobile furniture solutions were incorporated to enable staff to control parts of their environment. The staff has reported an overall high satisfaction with their workspace since moving in. The flexible office space design has already accommodated several office expansions quickly and easily.
Jury Comment The new Seattle Federal Courthouse exemplifies an exceptionally open and transparent approach to courthouse design. The building has transformed an entire block of the downtown core of Seattle and integrated an expression of nature in the design of the public plaza with the urban fabric of the community. The building’s composition and
the massing of the mid-rise and high-rise volumes of the structure contribute to an understanding of the transparency and functioning of the judicial process. The mid-rise office bar component is gracefully curved as it is joined to the high-rise tower. The tower is composed of the inner core of the courtrooms with views from the public waiting areas to the plaza below, and dramatic views of the city and the Sound. The judicial chambers are located behind the courtrooms providing total security, while the circulation corridors are highly transparent and are a major contribution to the public spirit of the courts. The use of natural light throughout the composition, including the main entry lobby on the plaza and the connecting lobby, incorporates a wide range of highly crafted details as well as sustainable design features that contribute both significant operating savings and satisfaction to the users of the building. The jurors were impressed by the quality of the design solution and the extent to which it celebrates democracy, openness, and the strength of the courts system.
