The Superior Court of California used to operate its courthouse for San Benito County from an aging building in the county seat of Hollister. That building’s myriad inadequacies included allowing visitors and inmates to enter through the same door—a security nightmare.
In 2009, SmithGroupJJR won its bid to design a new courthouse that would provide a sense of place that Hollister lacked. What the design firm came up with was a 41,500-sf building on two floors that, since opening a year ago, has established itself as a true civic center.
This $29.4 million project was funded through a bond issue approved by voters to build or renovate 44 courthouses across the state.
The client, the Administrative Office of the Court, wanted a cost-efficient building that would offer a comfortable and safe environment for courthouse staff and the public. “However, they didn’t want a fortress,” says project designer Hiroko Miyake, JIA, LEED AP BD+C, a Principal with SmithGroupJJR. “They wanted something that could be seen as being part of the community.”
Photo: Bruce Damonte, courtesy SmithGroupJJR
The building is organized in a simple rectangular form with linear arrangements of its three courtrooms for civil, criminal, and family and juvenile law. (A jury assembly room can be converted to a fourth courtroom.)
The space available for this building—which sits on a site previously used for a school—was tight. One solution was to install larger interior and exterior windows to create vistas, says SmithGroupJJR Vice President Suzanne Napier, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. “We utilized psychological effect to expand the interior space by borrowing exterior views,” she says. This is not unlike the Shakkukei technique used in traditional Japanese gardens.
The courthouse’s open circulation plan lets in lots of natural light, but is also shaded by a cantilevered patterned canopy that wraps around three sides of the building. The canopy suggests classical courthouse features of front porch and portico. It also helps connect the building with a public plaza that has “re-centered civic activity and public gathering for the town,” says Napier.
Hollister lies within a thousand feet of two earthquake fault lines. The courthouse’s foundation and structural design incorporated seismic recommendations that incorporate a buckling-resistant, braced-frame-and-steel structure and steel-deck-filled concrete slabs. Ultra-high-performance concrete panels—lightweight, thin, durable—were used as the building’s primary exterior skin material.
The Building Team (in addition to SmithGroupJJR): Rutherford & Chekene (SE), BKF Engineers (CE), Gayner Engineers (MEP), Cliff Lowe Associates (landscape design), Jay Farbstein Associates (courtroom planner), BKF Interface Engineering (lighting consultant); TEECOM (AV, security, telecommunications), Kate Keating Associates (signage/graphics), and Kitchell CEM (GC).
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 18, 2024
A modular construction solution to the mental healthcare crisis
Maria Ionescu, Senior Medical Planner, Stantec, shares a tested solution for the overburdened emergency department: Modular hub-and-spoke design.
Codes and Standards | Mar 18, 2024
New urban stormwater policies treat rainwater as a resource
U.S. cities are revamping how they handle stormwater to reduce flooding and capture rainfall and recharge aquifers. New policies reflect a change in mindset from treating stormwater as a nuisance to be quickly diverted away to capturing it as a resource.
Plumbing | Mar 18, 2024
EPA to revise criteria for WaterSense faucets and faucet accessories
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to revise its criteria for faucets and faucet accessories to earn the WaterSense label. The specification launched in 2007; since then, most faucets now sold in the U.S. meet or exceed the current WaterSense maximum flow rate of 1.5 gallons per minute (gpm).
MFPRO+ New Projects | Mar 18, 2024
Luxury apartments in New York restore and renovate a century-old residential building
COOKFOX Architects has completed a luxury apartment building at 378 West End Avenue in New York City. The project restored and renovated the original residence built in 1915, while extending a new structure east on West 78th Street.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 18, 2024
YWCA building in Boston’s Back Bay converted into 210 affordable rental apartments
Renovation of YWCA at 140 Clarendon Street will serve 111 previously unhoused families and individuals.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 17, 2024
5 criteria to optimize medical office design
Healthcare designers need to consider privacy, separate areas for practitioners, natural light, outdoor spaces, and thoughtful selection of materials for medical office buildings.
Construction Costs | Mar 15, 2024
Retail center construction costs for 2024
Data from Gordian shows the most recent costs per square foot for restaurants, social clubs, one-story department stores, retail stores and movie theaters in select cities.
Architects | Mar 15, 2024
4 ways to streamline your architectural practice
Vessel Architecture's Lindsay Straatmann, AIA, highlights four habits that have helped her discover the key to mastering efficiency as an architect.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 15, 2024
First comprehensive cancer hospital in Dubai to host specialized multidisciplinary care
Stantec was selected to lead the design team for the Hamdan Bin Rashid Cancer Hospital, Dubai’s first integrated, comprehensive cancer hospital. Named in honor of the late Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the hospital is scheduled to open to patients in 2026.
Codes and Standards | Mar 15, 2024
Technical brief addresses the impact of construction-generated moisture on commercial roofing systems
A new technical brief from SPRI, the trade association representing the manufacturers of single-ply roofing systems and related component materials, addresses construction-generated moisture and its impact on commercial roofing systems.