PROJECT Montgomery County Circuit Court Annex and Renovation
LOCATION Rockville, Maryland, US
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE 4/25/2015
ARCHITECT AECOM
ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT Not applicable
OWNER/CLIENT Montgomery County Department of General Services Office of Special Projects
CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Tompkins Builders
PHOTOGRAPHER Antoinette Charles, Sisson Studios, Inc.
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM Kyra Tallon, Kristine Johnson, Jeannie Gasper, Scott Tao,Tom Woods, and Lynn Gordon
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
The Montgomery County Circuit Court has become the eastern anchor for a revitalized government center and a symbol of the court’s important role in the community. Sited in downtown Rockville, this project involves the design of a new courts annex and renovation of the existing courthouse. The design includes high volume support space for Family Services and Family clerks, and a child play area on the first floor. The Masters occupy the second floor in eight hearing rooms and associated chambers, with dedicated Juvenile and Criminal/ Civil Courts on upper floors. The Annex provides for ten new courtrooms, while seventeen courtrooms remain in the existing building. The Montgomery County Circuit Court’s design approach seeks balance, maintains cohesion through common purpose and focus on the compelling ideals of an orderly society: justice, equality, fairness, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. The project involves the design of a 191,000-gross square foot circuit court Annex and renovation of the existing 327,000-gross square foot courthouse. The complete complex reflects the court’s mission and its central purpose and the new Annex clearly expresses the internal components that comprise the building and define the legal process. Prominently displayed are the courtrooms, intended to become the central expression of the buildings purpose. Each of the four sets of stacked courtrooms is given a unique figural expression as a powerful column or “pillar.” The sixstory tall courtroom pillars, clad in copper-toned metal panels, represent the dignity of the court system. Each courtroom pillar is topped by glass “lanterns” that act as glowing beacons highlighting the importance of the courts system. The design improves circulation throughout the complex. This expansion allowed for a reconfiguration of the existing entry screening areas to provide additional entry screening stations and improved queuing and flow. This accommodates extensive indoor queuing. Reuse of the existing entries and creation of the new perpendicular public corridor to the Annex allow the public circulation on the building’s first floor to be organized in a simple, user-friendly “T” configuration to facilitate way finding. Areas of renovation were limited to roofing and HVAC upgrades, main public corridors, restrooms, and areas of ADA non-compliance as well as Jury Assembly, and additional areas affected by relocation and consolidation to the Annex. The Annex features an efficient four-court-per-floor layout organized around a north-south corridor that overlooks a shared government plaza and landscaped park. The four courts are expressed as “pillars” topped by lanterns that illuminate the skyline. These lanterns are powered by photovoltaic cells. The public face is expressed with an extremely transparent glass curtainwall system looking out onto a shared government plaza. Judges and Masters spaces are contrasted to recognize individual department efforts. These spaces look out onto the District Court and the historic court plaza.
MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF
IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS
IMAGE 1 Montgomery County Circuit Court_thumbnail.jpg - Antoinette Charles
IMAGE 2 Montgomery County Circuit Court_high res.jpg - Robb Williamson
IMAGE 3 Montgomery County Circuit Court_high res int.jpg - Robb Williamson
IMAGE 4 Montgomery County Circuit Court_southeast.jpg - Robb Williamson
IMAGE 5 Montgomery County Circuit Court_south.jpg - Antoinette Charles
IMAGE 6 Montgomery County Circuit Court_hallway.jpg - Robb Williamson
IMAGE 7 Montgomery County Circuit Court_entrance.jpg - Robb Williamson
IMAGE 8 Montgomery County Circuit Court_courtroom.jpg - Robb Williamson
Montgomery County Circuit Court Annex and Renovation
Category
Local > AIA Potomac Valley > Institutional Architecture (AIA Potomac Valley)
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