I have noticed an upward trend in the number of cities and towns attempting to combine their court systems into one courthouse. Courts often do so because they are housed in underperforming facilities or fragmented across several locations. To solve this problem, it seems that the most prudent...

In a previous blog, I discussed the importance of establishing the architect and owner’s roles and responsibilities during the space programming phase of courthouse design. However, the process of project planning, designing, and constructing a building has many phases. I'd like to further the...

In my last blog, I talked about strategies that contribute to a successful courthouse planning effort. These strategies include conducting client interviews, recommending specific courtrooms and other office and support spaces, and defining all space sizes and requirements using design guidelines...

In the architectural world, the practice of developing space requirements for a project is known as space programming. It is done during the pre-design phase and provides the baseline space requirements for a construction project. The programming process involves a combination of conducting client...

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been plenty of discussion within the courthouse planning community about the way remote proceedings have improved court operations. Remote proceedings have provided the public with more convenient access to the court and have provided the court with an...