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Cumberland County Justice Center • Burkesville, Kentucky
The design goal of Cumberland County Judicial Center was to provide a new facility on the historic courthouse square in Burkesville, Kentucky, while preserving the historic character of the existing courthouse.
The long, narrow site made it challenging to develop a programmatic layout addressing the required relationships between public and private areas; however, a design solution that allowed public areas to reflect back on the courthouse square and provided creative building segregation was developed. The public entry was located at the front of the facility off the historic courthouse square, while the secure entry was located at the rear of the facility off an adjacent side street. With public spaces oriented toward the front of the facility, the design kept the town’s historic courthouse square a focal point from the public lobby. Private offices/spaces were placed toward the back of the facility, making it easier to establish the required security for these areas. The main courtroom space was located between the public and private areas allowing a secure interface between the public and private zones.
The first level of this 24,270 square foot facility houses a hearing room, sally port, holding cells, witness areas, pre-trial area, clerks’ offices, and other support functions. Above these areas, the jury courtroom, judges’ offices, holding cells, witness and attorney/client areas, conference rooms, law library, substantial public lobby spaces, and other supporting spaces are located on the second level.
To enhance the sense of openness in the narrow courthouse’s most public areas, the design developed circulation space along an exterior side wall with large windows adjacent to the new judicial center plaza. This placement allows natural light to flood the circulation space and provides views back onto the plaza.
oWner
Cumberland County Fiscal Court Burkesville, Kentucky
architect of record
GRW Lexington, Kentucky
structural engineer
Poage Engineers & Associates Lexington, Kentucky
Civil / mechanical / electrical engineer
GRW Lexington, Kentucky
Construction manager
Codell Construction Winchester, Kentucky
photographer
Walt Roycraft Photography Nicholasville, Kentucky Completion date: 2005 Construction Cost: $ 4.06 million
number of Courtrooms: 2
Type of Court: Criminal, Civil, Domestic, Juvenile, Traffic, Small Claims, Drug, Probate Building area: 24,270 BGSF; 15,775 NAA Finance method: General Obligation Bonds delivery method: Construction Management Type of Construction: New leed Certificate: None
