In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most courthouses have been closed to the public, with only the most urgent proceedings being held in the building and the majority of judges and staff teleworking. But with states around the nation beginning to reopen, courts are developing plans to return to...

The information gathered in a police interrogation room – sometimes called a secure interview room or hard interview room– during an interrogation of a suspect is not just investigative or probative – it is also evidence. As such, great care should be taken in how that information is collected....

In a previous blog, we explained the concept of the Eudaimonia Machine. As described in Cal Newport’s book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, Eudaimonia Machine is an architectural concept supporting the notion that form follows function. It’s a solution that gives balance...

Ramp or lift? That’s the question an architect or planner must ask when deciding how to make all portions of the courtroom fully accessible to court participants. Motorized lifts are costly but can take up less space than floor ramps, which can obstruct circulation. However, by integrating...

The use of collegial judges’ chambers is a developing trend in courthouse design. A collegial chambers arrangement is where two or more judges’ chambers suites are grouped together, apart from the courtrooms, instead of the traditional arrangement with a judge’s chambers suite being adjacent to his...