The Courtset: Early Concepts

by cchlebda

I began developing the courtset by examining the experience of the witness. Elevated on the stand, being scrupulously watched and heard by the jury, counselors, judge, and a crowd of specators, the witness is more than likely to experience discomfort. I wanted the form of the courtroom to allow the witness to see views out to nature, even if such views were only to the sky, to give them something soothing to look out towards if being the center of attention becomes too stressful.

I developed a form for the courtroom that would simultaneously allow the witness to view nature, focus attention towards those involved in the judicial process (judge, counselors, witness, jury), and allow daylight to enter and reflect through the space.

I then made a set of models to look at how this form of the courtroom, when repeated, could affect the form of the whole building. I discovered a duality to the form: a tall, almost imposing facade on one side, and a lower, looser, more accessible facade on the other side. This form started to express the oppositions inherent in the judicial process and the courthouse, e.g. freedom vs. law, public vs. private, liberation vs. punishment. I also noticed an opportunity for the lower side of the building to appear to emerge out of the earth, visually bringing Bryant Park over the building and symbolically making the law accessible to the public, emerging out of ‘freedom’. The following images show a series of studies using this idea of the park flowing over the courthouse, as well as ideas about intersection of public and private spaces (making the courthouse most accessible to the public).

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Site Analysis

by cchlebda

Activating Public Space

by cchlebda

According to the article “Modern Courthouses and the New Green,” the idea of a courthouse in the square is specific to American society (Dibble 30).  A courthouse square can slow down the courthouse entry approach for visitors, helping them to orient themselves on the site with or without an over-sized, imposing facade like those used in many modern (i.e. large, glazed atria) and colonial courthouses (i.e. portico with pediment and columns). Also, a square can create a welcoming atmosphere, visually inviting the public to enter the courthouse. The law exists for the people, so the courthouse and the space surrounding it should be designed to invite the public to participate in the law.

The idea of bringing people to the courthouse through urban design, i.e. through the creation of usable, public space directly adjacent to the courthouse, was of particular interest to me as I researched historical and modern precedents. I looked for examples that would demonstrate a variety of ways to activate the courthouse square.

One of the modern courthouses I researched was the Alfred A. Arraj Courthouse in Denver Colorado. The architects of this courthouse, HOK and Anderson Mason Dale Architects, created a urban space at the front of an entry pavilion that encourages passersby and users of the courthouse to enter the square and stay. The square features fountains, planters, and benches, all of which contribute to a pleasant and inviting atmosphere, while also providing security against vehicular threats to the courthouse.

Another way to incorporate alternate public uses into the space surrounding the courthouse is deomonstrated in the Colonial-era Boston Town House. The Town House was originally located at the center of Boston in the middle of a public square. It was a two-story building with courtrooms on the second floor and a market on the ground floor. By incorporating this alternate, mercantile use into the courthouse, the designer(s) encouraged an always active atmosphere around the courthouse.

Works Cited

Dibble, Tim and Fiona Cousins. “Modern Courthouses and the New Green.” The Court Manager 22.4 (2009): 30-41. National Association for Court Management. Web. 3 Sept. 2012. <www.nacmnet.org>.