Not long ago, I was presenting to a Board of Commissioners about the need for a new courthouse. After the presentation, one of the commissioners asked a question:
“Given all the new courthouse projects you’ve worked on, what are some of the lessons learned—things that the courts later regret about their new buildings?”
It was an outstanding question. Every new courthouse, no matter how well planned, includes features that seem like a great idea during design but turn out differently in practice. I gave a quick answer about multipurpose spaces, but the question lingered with me. The truth is, after working on many courthouse projects across the country, I’ve seen patterns emerge—features that courts consistently wish they’d designed differently.
This blog is my more complete answer to the commissioner’s question.
When I reflect on the most common regrets, one theme rises to the top: rigidity. Too many courthouses are designed around single-purpose rooms that can’t easily evolve as needs change.
One of the best examples is the jury assembly room. It’s often a large, beautiful space with rows of fixed chairs and little thought given to any use beyond assembling jurors.
A better approach is to design such areas as multipurpose rooms that can accommodate staff meetings, training sessions, or even departmental events. With the right layout and technology, a jury assembly space can be transformed into a multipurpose room that can meet a variety of needs. I have also seen jury assembly rooms double as high-volume courtrooms.
Other flexible spaces include jury deliberation rooms being used for conference rooms, conferencing suites being used for mediation and alternative dispute resolution, and lobby areas used for community events.
Another recurring regret involves the courtroom well—the heart of courtroom activity where the judge, attorneys, witnesses, and jury all come together. I can’t count how many times I’ve entered a fairly new courtroom to see extension cords snaking across the floor or tangled clusters of wires behind tables. These trip hazards aren’t just unsightly; they’re the result of underestimating how rapidly courtroom technology evolves.
The solution is to plan for a raised access floor in the well area, which is typically about two inches above the structural slab. This space provides a concealed pathway for AV cabling, recording equipment, and digital display wiring, keeping the courtroom safe, uncluttered, and adaptable.
When designed thoughtfully, this small investment during construction saves enormous frustration later. Courtrooms today rely on far more technology than even a decade ago, and that trend will only accelerate. A few extra inches of accessible flooring can make the difference between a smooth, modern courtroom and one that constantly struggles to keep up.
Even in an age of remarkable technological advancement, most courthouses still wrestle with paper—sometimes mountains of it. It’s understandable that many clerks request large file rooms when planning new space, but as digital systems continue to evolve, the need for physical storage will steadily decline.
One effective strategy is to locate file storage areas adjacent to staff offices or workstations rather than in a separate zone of the office suite. As paper needs diminish, those storage rooms can easily be repurposed into offices or support spaces. I’ve seen this approach extend the functional life of a clerk’s office for decades. Instead of having to expand or renovate, the office simply grows into its former file rooms.
It’s a simple concept: design with tomorrow’s operations in mind, not just today’s.
A courthouse is a long-term investment, often designed to serve its community for 50 years or more. Yet it’s rarely practical to build a facility with large areas sitting vacant until future growth occurs. The key is to plan strategically for how courtroom capacity can expand over time, ensuring the building can evolve as the court’s needs increase.
A few successful courthouse designs I’ve seen include “shelled space” for future courtrooms—unfinished areas with high ceilings and appropriate adjacencies that can be built out when the time comes.
Shelled out courtroom space can be finished as office space and used to house staff, storage, libraries, and other functions. One courthouse I worked at recently had shelled courtrooms being used predominantly as storage space for thirty years. As caseloads increase, shelled spaces are being converted into courtrooms for a fraction of the cost of new construction.
Even if a project’s budget doesn’t allow for shelled space, it’s wise to develop a conceptual plan that shows how the courthouse could expand. This ensures the site layout, circulation paths, and security systems can accommodate a future addition. I’ve seen several courthouses built squarely in the center of a large site, leaving no practical room for expansion—even though simply shifting the footprint during design could have preserved the option.
Beyond these major themes, a few smaller lessons come up repeatedly after occupancy:
Courts often wish they had included more restrooms on each courtroom floor or distributed them more evenly. In some facilities, jurors, staff, and the public must travel long distances—or even between floors—to find restrooms, creating daily frustration.
Another common regret involves insufficient attorney conference rooms. These spaces may seem secondary during design, but they quickly become essential for private discussions, witness preparation, or last-minute negotiations once the courthouse is in use.
Finally, some courts wish they had incorporated better natural light and views into staff work areas. While courtrooms themselves must remain secure and acoustically controlled, daylight access in offices and support areas significantly improves staff well-being and morale—something that is often underestimated during early planning.
Each of these may seem minor during design, but small oversights like these can ripple into daily inconveniences that persist for decades.
Courthouses are unique buildings. They serve the public, uphold justice, and must project dignity—all while adapting to social, technological, and operational change. The courts that express regret after moving into their new buildings aren’t criticizing the architecture; they’re acknowledging how fast the world evolves.
The best designs anticipate that evolution. Flexible spaces adapt to shifting workloads. Raised flooring and robust technology infrastructure keep courtrooms current. Filing areas transition into offices as paper disappears. And shelled or planned courtroom expansions allow the courthouse to grow with its community.
In the end, every courthouse tells a story—not just about how justice is served today, but about how well it’s prepared to serve tomorrow. The lesson from decades of new construction is clear: design not just for the grand opening, but for the next generation of court operations.