Well-performing courtroom heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (courtroom HVAC) systems are essential to provide controlled temperature and humidity levels for the comfort of all proceeding participants, as well as to perform the critical life safety function of smoke purge in case of fire....

External noise during court proceedings is a problem in many courtrooms. These noise issues are not simply an annoyance but can be highly distracting to the proceedings and detrimental to the judicial process.

In a previous blog on courtroom sightlines, we discussed the issue of good visibility in the courtroom. In this post, we focus on another of our five senses – the ability to hear in the courtroom. The ability of all participants in a trial to listen to the proceedings is a necessity.

For R&A projects that include the renovation of several existing courtrooms and perhaps several new courtrooms, the most effective solutions may be more than just architectural. Instead, solutions may also be influenced by the court’s overall operational objectives for the functions and activities...

Trial courtrooms that accommodate criminal proceedings require five points of access to achieve a secure separation of participants: one each for the judge, law clerks, jurors, the public, and prisoners. More often than not, we find that the framework of existing circulation patterns, especially...