Well-performing courtroom heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (courtroom HVAC) systems are essential to provide controlled temperature and humidity levels for the comfort of all proceeding participants, as well as to perform the critical life safety function of smoke purge in case of fire....

In a previous blog on courtroom sightlines, we discussed the issue of good visibility in the courtroom. In this post, we focus on another of our five senses – the ability to hear in the courtroom. The ability of all participants in a trial to listen to the proceedings is a necessity.

In previous blogs, we examined two strategies for fitting a courtroom into an existing space that is too small to meet design standards: flexible furniture and fixtures in the courtroom and limiting user capacity. The third strategy, recommended only if the previous two strategies will not provide...

When the use of flexible furniture and fixtures, as described in an earlier article, is not enough to provide adequate space in an undersized courtroom, it may be necessary to reduce the courtroom's user capacity.

The most common challenge when undergoing major renovation projects in existing courthouses is designing a functional courtroom in a tight or poorly configured space. We often refer to this as “shoehorning” a courtroom into existing space. In many cases, adequate space cannot be found to construct...