My first experience with a courthouse was not good. In fact, it was terrifying and the memory has remained with me to this day. And it began on the courthouse steps before I walked through the front door. In my experience, the exterior image of a courthouse can range from an imposing and...

Great news! Discussions are underway regarding finally building a new courthouse. It has taken years to get to this point. Now, to get started, the courthouse planning group needs estimates of the amount of space needed for each court component. “Can’t we just use the space we have now?” someone...

The design of every building is a puzzle. Courthouses are no exception. All the pieces need to fit in a way that make sense and that help guide us through the building. The building blocks of courthouse planning and organization include which pieces are located on the ground floor versus upper...

 The role of a courthouse circulation system is both to connect courthouse components and to separate the movement of the public, judges, court personnel, and prisoners throughout the courthouse. This article provides guidance to architects and court managers during the courthouse planning process...

In 2015, State of the State Courts survey respondents were asked: "How would you rate the job being done by courts in your state?" Surprisingly, the question revealed that only 48% of Americans are happy with their courthouse experience.  User friendly courthouse design in courthouse planning can...