The COVID-19 pandemic has, among other things, forced us to rethink how people move through buildings. Office buildings, as well as public buildings like courthouses, rely heavily on the use of elevators to move people between floors. But at the height of the pandemic, social distancing had greatly...

The 2020-21 TV season has started, and it’s interesting to see to how TV dramas are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in their fictional worlds. From my standpoint as a court design consultant, I’m especially interested in the TV shows that involve courtroom scenes, and what COVID protocols those...

In a previous blog, I wrote about one way a courtroom proceeding could be held while still observing social distancing protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, I’ve come across other potential solutions that have been implemented by courts around the country. In this blog, I describe one...

 In my experience as a courtroom planning consultant, I’ve had the opportunity to plan for many types and styles of courtrooms. While there are many different issues regarding courtroom design – including sightlines, furniture options, and access requirements – the focus of this blog will be on the...

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...