Project Details
- Project Name
- United States Courthouse
- Location
- CA
- Architect
- SOM
- Project Types
- Government
- Size
- 633,000 sq. feet
- Year Completed
- 2016
- Shared by
- Hanley Wood
- Project Status
- Built
From the May 2019 Issue of ARCHITECT:
Los Angeles’ new federal courthouse signals values of lightness and transparency for the American justice system.
Text by Ian Volner
There is new kind of public architecture in America, and it’s exemplified by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)’s New United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. With its judicial projects in particular, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which is responsible for most major federal construction projects, has put renewed emphasis on high design, with a set of aesthetic preferences that SOM—long a standard-bearer for modernist clarity and refinement—was especially well-poised to deliver on. In place of the heavy, masonry-bound courthouses of old, the GSA has sought a lighter, brighter look, but one that still projects an air of dignity and gravitas.
In LA, SOM came through with an interior that met that standard and then some—a municipal facility with a forthrightly civic expression that feels more like a public plaza than a bureaucratic building. Arranging two dozen courtrooms (as well as judges’ chambers and other support spaces) around a central atrium, the designers created an entry-level rez-de-chaussée that flows directly through the site under nine levels of dramatically crisscrossing concourses. All of this is topped off by a jagged glass roof that allows natural light to permeate the whole structure, illuminating even the enclosed rooms by way of glazed ceiling-level apertures. Giving the building its signature spiky crown, the roof system also helps mitigate glare from the Southern California sun, and works in tandem with similarly pleated vertical windows and invisible mechanical systems on every floor to reduce the building’s energy consumption by nearly half.
Most important, perhaps, for the people who must use the building, is its subdued, organic atmosphere, which begins in the stone-lined lobby and carries through to every wood- and marble-lined courtroom, conjuring an image of a justice system in which the emphasis is less on system and more on justice.
From the November 2018 issue of ARCHITECT:
Text by Clay Risen
This new federal courthouse beat its mandated energy goals by leveraging glass and daylight to create a modern, transparent house of justice.
What should a 21st-century courthouse look like? For a new federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) decided it should be glass-clad and light-filled to evoke the transparency of the rule of law, while also emphasizing a civic duty to sustainability.
Completed in 2016, the 633,000-square-foot cube sits on the side of a gently sloping hill a few blocks from the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Early on, says José Palacios, AIA, a design director at SOM, both the architects and their client, the federal government’s General Services Administration (GSA), knew they wanted to utilize as much glass as possible to emphasize the democratic openness of the judiciary system and to allow as much light as possible into the 10-story tower’s 24 courtrooms.
As an additional civic gesture, they also wanted it to be square with the street grid—it sits at the corner of South Broadway and West 1st Street. But that presented a problem: The downtown Los Angeles street grid is off-axis by 38 degrees, meaning a building true to the grid is unable to take advantage of the region’s abundant sunlight.
“Ideally we would have oriented the building to face north,” Palacios says, “but that would not have been a civic orientation.”
This was especially challenging because the GSA had mandated that the building achieve a maximum energy use intensity—or E.U.I., a measure of the amount of energy used per square foot—of 35, to be verified during the first year of operation.
“For a facility like this, that’s pretty low,” says Steve Zimmerman, AIA, an associate director with SOM. “The requirement caused the design team to focus on energy as one of the drivers of the design.”
SOM’s solution was elegantly simple: The building’s four glass curtainwalls are pleated vertically, angled so that they shift the courthouse’s glazing to a true north–south direction.
“Instead of orienting the building, we oriented the façade,” Palacios says.
The glass on the northern and southern sides is clear, to maximize light, while the glass on the east and west sides is opaque, allowing in sufficient light but also reducing heat gain. The pleats are lined with aluminum fins, which reduce glare through the windows.
Additionally, the building uses pleated sawtoothed skylights along the roof of the courthouse, which allow diffuse light to filter into a 10-story enclosed atrium at the heart of the building; that light then flows through clerestory windows into each of the courtrooms.
The building includes yet another innovative gesture toward sustainability: Its steel and concrete structure lifts the building off the ground, so that the cube seems to float about its concrete plinth. In addition to giving the building an elegant way to reduce its vulnerability to ground-level blasts, lifting it reduces the amount of concrete used, further reducing its carbon footprint.
When the building was finished, SOM and its team were not done: As part of its contract, the GSA required both the design team and the design/build contractors attached to the project to stay on for a year, to monitor the building’s performance.
“As architects, we’re interested in the post-occupancy question,” Zimmerman says. “Typically, architects do projects and then walk away. People say they look nice, but the architects don’t know the numbers to gauge how well their designs are actually doing.”
The courthouse has performed exceptionally well: Thanks to the pleats, the building’s annual solar radiation load is 47 percent lower than it would be with a flat glazed façade; they also reduce the central plant load by 9 percent. And, combined with displacement air systems to reduce cooling loads and automated controls to maximize energy efficiency, the courthouse averages just 31 EUI, four points below the GSA mandate and 54 percent below the national benchmark for a similar building. That number will likely drop further once the 900 photovoltaic panels surrounding the skylights become operational.
The result is a structure that is big on sustainability and low-energy use while remaining light-filled and pleasant to be in—an important quality in a courthouse.
“The people who are going into this building, a lot of the time they’re going to court, which is not the best day of their lives,” Zimmerman says. “With this building, at least they go through that experience in comfort.”
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Project Credits
Project: New United States Courthouse, Los Angeles
Client: United States General Services Administration
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Los Angeles and San Francisco . Gene Schnair, FAIA, Michael Mann, FAIA (managing partners, directors); Craig Hartman, FAIA, Jose Palacios, AIA, Paul Danna, FAIA (design partners, directors); Mark Sarkisian (structural partner, director); Keith Boswell (technical partner, director); Michael Mann, FAIA; Susan Bartley, AIA (project managers); Naomi Asai, Bita Salamat, AIA (senior interior design architects); Garth Ramsey (senior technical coordinator); Eric Long, Andrew Krebs (senior structural engineers); Steven Zimmerman, AIA (technical architect); Lonny Israel (graphic designer)
Interior Designer: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
M/E Engineer: Syska Hennessy Group
Structural Engineer: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Plumbing Engineer: South Coast Engineering Group
Civil Engineer: Psomas
Geotechnical Engineer: Haley & Aldrich
Construction Manager: Jacobs Engineering Group
Design/Build Contractor: Clark Construction Group
Landscape Architect: Studio-MLA
Lighting Designer: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design
LEED Consultant: AECOM
Blast Consulting: Applied Research Associates
Fire/Life Safety: Jensen Hughes
Vertical Transportation: Lerch Bates
Acoustics: Newson Brown Acoustics
Accessibility: AA Architects
Graphics: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Branding/Graphics: Page/Dyal
Commissioning Agent: Jacobs Engineering Group
Size: 633,000 square feet
Cost: $326 million
Materials and Sources
Acoustical System: Armstrong, PCI, USG Ceilings Plus, CertainTeed, Conved Wall Technologies (ceilings); Rulon International (paneling)
Adhesives/Coatings/Sealants: Miracle Sealants; Dow; Pecora; GE Momentive
Building Management Systems and Services: Otis, Gunderson, City Lift (elevators); T L Shields (accessibility provisions—lifts)
Concrete: Shaw & Sons; Conco
Exterior Wall Systems: Angelus Block Co., Winegardner Masonry Inc. (masonry—CMU); Trenwyth Industries (masonry—glazed block); VNSM (custom metal panels); Henry Co. (moisture barrier—hot rubberized membrane); Grace Construction Products (moisture barrier—below grade); ITW Polymer (moisture barrier—tank); Neogard (moisture barrier—traffic coating); GE Momentive (moisture barrier—fluid applied, sealants); Dow, Pecora (sealants); Benson Industries, C&C Glass, Larson Engineering (custom curtainwall); Indiana Limestone, Carrara Marble Co. (stone cladding); Premiere Tile, Korel Tile (soffit cladding); Construction Specialties, Ohio Gratings (louvers, expansion joints); Shaw & Sons (architectural concrete); Johns Manville (insulation)
Flooring: Mosa, Crossville, Daltile, Schluter (tile); Johnsonite, Mannington, Burke, Static Smart, Forbo, Roppe (resilient); Haworth (raised flooring); Bentley, Tangram (carpet)
Glass: Viracon (exterior curtainwall, skylights); Pulp Studio (elevator cab panels); GlasPro (interior wall panels); Golden Glass (custom assemblies); TSS Armor (ballistic); Arcadia, Trulite (acoustical assemblies); C.R. Laurence (handrail hardware) HVAC: Price (air diffusers); ACCO (mechanical displacement air system)
Photovoltaics or other Renewables: Solar World, GLO/Helix, Belco (photovoltaic system); Uponor (rainwater collection system, radiant floor system)
Plumbing and Water System: Moen, Chicago Faucets, Lovair (faucets); American Standard, Toto (flush valves, toilet fixtures, lavatories); Kohler (lavatories); Elkay (sinks); Acorn (detention fixtures)
Read expanded coverage of the winners of the 2018 AIA COTE Top Ten Awards.
From the June 2018 issue of ARCHITECT:
Text by Ian Volner
“Modern elements like the glass façade create an iconic image for a 21st-century courthouse while also providing positive environmental performance.” —Jury statement
The federal government has had a long-standing policy of not designing in a single architectural style, all the better to adapt to local conditions and needs. Yet there is a certain pattern, or at least a certain presence, that seems common to many of the country’s newer courthouses—a spirit exemplified by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s design for the United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
Where an earlier age would have seen a stately colonnaded façade and an engraved entablature flanked by allegorical sculptures, the L.A. building exudes a similar sense of authority and dignity by way of altogether different formal means, deploying a spare language of rippling glass, steel, and smooth stone arranged into a cubic envelope hovering above a recessed rez-de-chaussée. This very modernist solution belies what is otherwise, in terms of performance, a very 21st-century building: Qualifying for LEED Platinum certification, the building boasts a rooftop solar installation that produces 507,000 kilowatt-hours every year, while the glass façade abjures the typical flat curtainwall for a pleated one that helps mitigate the intense thermal load from the harsh Southern California sun.
The building is also more adaptable than the typical glass box, and more sensitive to the needs of its occupants, providing views to the surrounding landscape for nearly 60 percent of office workers and offering even more sufficient natural light to render electrical lighting superfluous. Set away from the sidewalk atop a monumental plinth, the courthouse carries itself with just the right gravitas to communicate its key civic role, while still feeling open and accessible to all.
Project Description
This project won a 2019 AIA Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture
From the AIA:
To represent the ideals of the U.S. justice system, this federal courthouse on a prominent block in downtown Los Angeles relies on the intersection of site, program, sustainability, and security. The end result of a process initiated in the late 1990s by the General Services Administration, the project has modernized the Central District of California and addresses the security shortcomings of its predecessor.
Housing 24 courtrooms and 32 judicial chambers, the courthouse’s architectural expression is a marriage of site orientation, civic form, environmental performance, and democratic principles. Its innovative hat-truss structure allows its transparent cube form to seemingly float above a stone pedestal. The clearance allows the natural topography to slide under the building, strengthening its civic footprint by creating new public spaces.
Inside, the building relies on traditional architectural elements to broaden its civic presence. Processional steps and durable materials such as limestone, white marble, and oak can be found throughout. A light color palette helps maximize the effectiveness of the daylighting that streams through a central light court. In each courtroom and jury deliberation room, natural light dignifies the spaces and helps alleviate stress. A number of two-story meditative spaces with views of the city found throughout the building are places of respite, designed to encourage pre-trial settlements.
Addressing the circulation needs for discrete groups of users was a critical component of the design strategy. The courthouse’s program centers on circulation patterns for federal judges and their staff as well as detainees and the public. All three circulation corridors needed to work independently of one another, both horizontally and vertically, which affected the layout of corridors, stairwells, and elevators.
A central courtyard situated within the secure confines of the courthouse is accessible to all of the building’s users. It encourages people to work outdoors and enjoy California’s climate, or find a moment of peace from the gravity of court proceedings.
This project is a winner in the 2018 COTE Top Ten Green Projects Awards.
From the AIA:
The New United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles is a 10-story, 633,000-square-foot building that contains 24 courtrooms and 32 judicial chambers. It houses the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California, accommodates the U.S. Marshals Service, and provides trial preparation space for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Federal Public Defender. Sustainability was a driving factor in the courthouse design from the beginning. It achieved LEED® Platinum certification, meets the GSA’s 2020 energy objective, and incorporates sustainable design features including a rooftop photovoltaic array and pleated façade that reduces the building’s annual radiation and central plant loads.
Metrics Snapshot:
Predicted consumed energy use intensity (EUI): 35.08 kBtu/sq ft/yr
Predicted Net EUI: 32.26 kBtu/sq ft/yr
Predicted Net carbon emissions: 6 lb/sq ft/yr, uses 0.65 lbs/kWh and 12.5 lbs/therm as basis per 2014 EPA EGRID data.
Predicted reduction from national average EUI for building type: 53 percent
Predicted lighting power density: 0.69 W/sq ft
CO₂ intensity: 17,402 metric tons
Estimated carbon emissions associated with building construction: 60.6 lbs/sq ft
Percentage of the site area designed to support vegetation: 31
Percentage of site area supporting vegetation before project began: 0. A previous structure that was severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake was demolished in 1999 and the site remained vacant until the new building commenced construction in mid-2013 except for street trees in the public right of way present along 1st Street and Hill Street.
Percentage of landscaped areas covered by native or climate appropriate plants supporting native or migratory animals: 100.
Cost per square foot: $515
Comparable cost per square foot for other, similar buildings in the region: $1,100/Sq Ft Long Beach Courthouse to average cost of $591/Sq Ft for California court facilities, Judicial Council of California 5/28/2016
Percentage of floor area or percentage of occupant work stations with direct views of the outdoors: 59
Percentage of floor area or percentage of occupant work stations within 30 feet of operable windows: 0
Percentage of floor area or percentage of occupant work stations achieving adequate light levels without the use of artificial lighting: 64.8 percent >300 lux at 3pm March 21. Percentage indicated excludes the Courtrooms since there are line of sight privacy/security issues and they are not regularly occupied. The percent including the Courtrooms is 51.9.
Is this project a workplace? Yes.
How many occupants per thermal zone or thermostat: 2
Occupants who can control their own light levels: 50 percent
FROM THE AIA:
The New United States Courthouse – Los Angeles houses the U.S. District Court, Central District of California. The building’s architectural expression is an inextricable union of site orientation, environmental performance and principles that honor the public realm. An innovative hat-truss structure allows this cubic form to “float” above a stone base, opening up new public spaces, giving the project a clear civic presence and separating it from its commercial neighbors. The design is rooted in classic principles of American civic architecture as seen through the lens of 21st Century Los Angeles.
FROM THE 2018 AIA INSTITUTE HONOR AWARDS FOR ARCHITECTURE JURY:
The design's fascination with natural light and white spaces is nicely contrasted by the golden wood interior figures and floors. The building's form is a representation of site and topography, functionality, environmental performance, civic presence, and public spaces. Traditional materials and architectural elements enliven its civic presence, while modern elements introduced through the glass assembly façade create an iconic image for a 21st Century courthouse building while also providing positive environmental performance. This powerful composition and the generosity of its public spaces gives the project a clear civic presence, separating it from its commercial neighbors.
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
The design of the new United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles is both modern in spirit and rooted in classic principles of federal architecture. It uses traditional architectural elements such as processional steps, grand public spaces, and enduring materials like limestone to achieve a strong civic identity. Envisioned as a "floating" cube, the building employs an innovative structural engineering concept that cantilevers the glass volume above its stone base, making the courthouse contemporary in material, technology, and form.
Located on a prominent block in the city's Civic Center neighborhood, the 10-story, 633,000-square-foot building contains 24 courtrooms and 32 judicial chambers. It houses the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California, accommodates the needs of the U.S. Marshals Service, and provides trial preparation space for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Federal Public Defender.
Sustainability was a driving factor for the courthouse from the beginning. It achieved LEED® Platinum certification and meets the GSA’s 2020 energy objective. The building incorporates a variety of sustainable design features, including a rooftop photovoltaic array that is intended to generate 507,000 kWh of renewable energy on an annual basis.
Perhaps the most visible sustainable design feature is the facade—a solution that gracefully responds to the conditions of the site. A key challenge for the design team was to manage intense sun exposure from the east and west while maintaining the building's alignment with the street grid. SOM's pleated facade design incorporates opaque panels in east- and west-facing pleats to minimize solar thermal gain. At the same time, the design utilizes transparent glass panels in north- and south-facing pleats to maximize natural daylight inside the courthouse. This design reduces annual solar radiation load by 47 percent, and decreases central plant load by 9 percent.
The courthouse design also mitigates blast threats by using a novel truss system to increase the standoff between the perimeter and primary structure, while still allowing the cube to appear as a single, hovering form. To protect against seismic events and control the building’s lateral drift, the roof truss is used as a mega link beam that connects the reinforced concrete shear walls at the top story and reduces ductility demands.
