flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

High-rise Art Deco courthouse gets a makeover in Amarillo, Texas

High-rise Art Deco courthouse gets a makeover in Amarillo, Texas

Recognized as one of the most significant Art Deco courthouses in Texas, the Potter County Courthouse is modernized and restored to its 1930s aesthetic. 


By David Barista, Editor-in-Chief | October 15, 2013
The project restored the buildings courtrooms and public corridors to their ori
The project restored the buildings courtrooms and public corridors to their original, warm terra cotta hues. It also involved r

Completed in 1932, the Potter County Courthouse is recognized as one of the most significant high-rise Art Deco courthouses in Texas, and among the most prominent in the country. Local architect W.C. Townes, of Townes, Lightfoot and Funk, designed the eight-story structure with a terra cotta fac?ade adorned in decorative figural and botanical bas-relief depicting the region’s cultural and natural history.

After more than 80 years of use, the courthouse was long overdue for an interior modernization and exterior restoration. The $15.5 million effort was undertaken as part of the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, a state-funded program that covered about one-third of the project’s cost. It included a complete fac?ade restoration—including repairing and re-anchoring damaged units and replacing mortar joints—and an overhaul of the interior spaces to meet current building and accessibility codes and the operational and functional needs of the county’s administrative offices and courts.

The original mechanical systems were replaced with a four-pipe scheme utilizing a 200-ton chiller and 250-ton cooling tower. An additional 60-ton, air-cooled chiller was placed on the roof, and 12 air-handling units were located on the various roofs at the fifth, sixth, and eighth floors. The new system, combined with automatic controls and enhanced thermal roof insulation, is expected to reduce energy costs by 20% annually.

POTTER COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Amarillo, Texas

 
Building Team 
Submitting firm: JQ (structural engineer) 
Owner: Potter County 
Architect: ArchiTexas 
MEP engineer: Johnson Consulting Engineers 
Construction manager: Southwest General Contractors 
General contractor: Journeyman Construction
 
General Information 
Size: 62,390 sf 
Construction cost: $15.5 million 
Construction time: November 2009 to August 2012 
Delivery method: Design-bid-build

The Reconstruction Awards judges hailed the Building Team for its painstaking efforts in preserving the historical elements of the building while modernizing the structure. To accommodate the new mechanical systems and other modern amenities, such as fire/life safety systems, information technology infrastructure, and high-density shelving units, the team devised several creative structural solutions:

• Tunnel expansion. To preserve the courthouse’s original, first-floor terrazzo floors, the team utilized the facility’s underfloor utility tunnels to run new insulated piping. Deemed inadequate to handle the new systems, the existing tunnels had to be carefully reinforced and expanded. In total, more than 200 feet of concrete- and masonry-lined tunnel was added on to the existing layout, allowing for the terrazzo flooring to remain intact.

• Clay tile floor removal. The added weight of the rooftop mechanical units and high-density shelving meant that certain areas of the existing structure on floors two through six would need to be reinforced. However, because the plaster ceiling finish was applied directly to the original clay tile and reinforced concrete joist floor system, structural members could not be inserted below the original ceiling level.

The solution involved removing portions of the original clay tile forms to allow the installation of new steel beams constructed from steel T-sections between the existing concrete joists, thereby increasing the floor load capacity. The use of T-sections in lieu of standard wide-flange sections facilitated access for completion of field connections to the existing structure and the placement of non-shrink grout between the top of the steel members and the underside of the original floor slab to provide full load transfer.

• Use of CFRP strips. In order to accommodate new stairs, vertical chases, and mechanical infrastructure, numerous openings of various sizes had to be cut into the slab on floors seven and eight. The original floor structure on these levels is eight-inch reinforced concrete slabs spanning the concrete beams.

To maintain the structural integrity and continuity of the floor slabs, strips of laminated, 1?4-inch-thick carbon fiber reinforcement polymer (CFRP) were used to redistribute the loads adjacent to and around the openings. Larger openings for the stairs and chases called for additional reinforcement, and CFRP strips were placed on top or below the slab, corresponding to the tension zone of the slab system.

In several locations, strips were placed in both directions around the openings to properly distribute the load.

“We liked how the team carefully pre- served the clay-tile floor and the reinforced concrete slab with the strengthening schemes hidden out of sight,” said judge K. Nam Shiu, Senior VP, Director of Restoration Services, Walker Restoration Consultants (www.walkerrestoration.com). “They successfully provided up-to-date floor functionality while keeping the layout and look of the original building.”

 

The Building Team took careful measures to avoid disturbing the historical elements in the building. This included expanding an existing utility tunnel (above) and applying special structural reinforcement polymer to select concrete frame members (top). Photo: Brenda Bagot

Related Stories

| Aug 30, 2013

Local Government Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest local government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.  

| Aug 30, 2013

A new approach to post-occupancy evaluations

As a growing number of healthcare institutions become more customer-focused, post-occupancy evaluations (POE) are playing a bigger role in new construction and renovation projects. Advocate Health Care is among the healthcare organizations to institute a detailed post-occupancy assessment process for its projects. 

| Aug 29, 2013

First look: K-State's Bill Snyder Family Stadium expansion

The West Side Stadium Expansion Project at Kansas State's Bill Snyder Family Stadium is the largest project in K-State Athletics history. 

| Aug 27, 2013

Industrial Sector Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest industrial sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.

| Aug 26, 2013

What you missed last week: Architecture billings up again; record year for hotel renovations; nation's most expensive real estate markets

BD+C's roundup of the top construction market news for the week of August 18 includes the latest architecture billings index from AIA and a BOMA study on the nation's most and least expensive commercial real estate markets. 

| Aug 26, 2013

Chicago Bears kick off season at renovated Halas Hall

An upgraded locker room, expanded weight room, and updated dining room with an outdoor patio greeted the Chicago Bears when they arrived at Halas Hall for practice this month. The improvements are part of a major expansion and renovation of the Bears’ headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill., completed by Mortenson Construction in less than seven months.

| Aug 22, 2013

Energy-efficient glazing technology [AIA Course]

This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.

| Aug 22, 2013

Warehouse remake: Conversion project turns derelict freight terminal into modern office space [slideshow]

The goal of the Freight development is to attract businesses to an abandoned industrial zone north of downtown Denver.

| Aug 21, 2013

AIA: Architecture billings on the rise in July

The Architecture Billings Index for July was 52.7, up from a mark of 51.6 in June. This score reflects an increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).

| Aug 20, 2013

40 Under 40 retrospective: ‘U40s’ take on continuing ed, snake’s blood

Every month we’ll be touching base with past 40 Under 40 honorees to see what’s been happening in their professional and personal lives since winning the award. This month: An accomplished author of test-prep books and an architect who headed to China when the American economy turned sour.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021