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.
New United States Courthouse – Los Angeles
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Project Facts
Location: Los Angeles, California
Project Completion: 2016
Site Area: 138,000 ft2
Project Area: 633,000 ft2
Number of Stories: 10
Building Height: 220 ft
Market: Civic + Government
Service: Architecture, Graphics + Branding, Interior Design, Structural + Civil Engineering
News
Awards
2019
Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement, Award of MeritAmerican Society of Civil Engineers2019
National Honor Award for Interior ArchitectureAmerican Institute of Architects (AIA)2018
Municipal Green Building Conference & Expo AwardUS Green Building Institute - Los Angeles2018
The Outstanding Building of the Year Award (TOBY), Public AssemblyThe Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)2018
Award of ExcellenceInternational Association of Lighting Designers2018
Best of the Best Government/Public Building ProjectEngineering News Record2018
A+ Award Finalist: Government & Municipal BuildingsArchitizer2018
National Honor Award for ArchitectureAmerican Institute of Architects (AIA)2018
Engineering Excellence Honor AwardAmerican Council of Engineering Companies of California (ACEC California)2018
Top Ten AwardAIA – Committee on the Environment (COTE)2018
Citation AwardAIA - Justice Facilities Review2017
Westside Prize, Public/Institutional Honor AwardWestside Urban Forum2017
Sustainable Innovation Award - Energy & Atmosphere HonorUS Green Building Institute - Los Angeles2017
Downtown’s Rose Garden AwardThe Downtown Breakfast Club2017
Award of Excellence: New ConstructionStructural Engineers Association of Southern California2017
Best Daylighting ProjectProfessional Lighting Design Recognition2017
Commercial Real Estate Awards, Best Sustainable Project: Gold AwardLos Angeles Business Journal2017
Grand PrizeLos Angeles Business Council2017
Civic Buildings AwardLos Angeles Business Council2017
Downtowners of Distinction, Project of the YearLA Downtown News2017
ENR California Region, Best Project Southern CaliforniaEngineering News Record2017
Project of the YearDesign-Build Institute of America (DBIA) Western Pacific Region (WPA)2017
National Award of Merit for Federal, State, and County MunicipalDesign-Build Institute of America (DBIA)2017
Excellence in Construction Management - Project of the YearConstruction Management Association of America2017
Gold Award, Building Team AwardsBuilding Design + Construction2017
California Constructor Award - Excellence in Project Management - FinalistAssociated General Contractors of America2017
Best of Design Award – Winner: FacadeArchitect's Newspaper2017
Best of Design Award – Honorable Mention: Green–CivicArchitect's Newspaper2017
Best of Design Award – Honorable Mention: Civic–AdministrativeArchitect's Newspaper2017
Merit AwardAIA – San Francisco Chapter2017
Honor AwardAIA – Los Angeles Chapter2017
COTE Honor AwardAIA – Los Angeles Chapter2017
Honor AwardAIA – California Council2016
Design Award: On the Boards, Honor AwardGeneral Services Administration (GSA)2015
Space:Spark!Spark Awards2015
Under Construction AwardLos Angeles Business Council2014
Green Good Design AwardChicago Athenaeum2013
Civic AwardSouthern California Development Forum2013
Next LA Merit AwardAIA – Los Angeles ChapterSee Also...

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