The San Antonio Federal Courthouse, which opened earlier this year, replaces a courthouse that had been constructed as a pavilion for the 1968 World’s Fair. Serving the Western District of Texas—a 93,000-square-mile area stretching from San Antonio to El Paso—the new 228,000-square-foot Courthouse aims to serve as both a safe, secure facility and a welcoming public presence.
Designed by Lake|Flato Architects in association with Alta Architects (formerly Munoz & Company), the San Antonio Federal Courthouse sits two blocks from the historic city center. For 12 years, the design team worked with the City of San Antonio, the General Service Administration, and several federal agencies to design a facility that both represents the civic importance of a new federal courthouse and captures San Antonio’s cultural identity.
Four feet above the streetscape, the Courthouses rests on a landscaped plinth of native plants that reference the site’s agrarian history, while reinforcing the structure’s significance for the community. The eight courtrooms create an expression on the building’s facade, placing judicial leadership on metaphorical display. Visitors ramp up past a tree-covered landscape to the entry portal.
Inside, visitors enter the central atrium, which is overlooked by courtroom lobby balconies. Great stairs lead visitors and potential jurors up to the jury assembly. Clerestories, skylights, and dormers create an inviting, light-filled environment. Within the courtrooms, clearstory windows over the judge’s bench let in natural light, representing the idea of judicial transparency.
On track to achieving LEED Gold certification, the Courthouse has a compact footprint. Its energy-efficient and resource-conserving strategies reduce energy costs by 21% and provide an indoor water savings of 30%. The facility also features two electric vehicle charging stations.
On the Building Team:
Design architect: Lake|Flato Architects
Construction administration and landscape architect: Alta Architects (formerly Munoz & Company)
Design-build contractor: Brasfield & Gorrie
Design-build architect: SLAM Collaborative
Mechanical/plumbing engineer: Integral Group
Electrical/lighting engineer: CNG Engineering
Structural engineer: Datum Engineers
Survey/civil engineer: Pape-Dawson Engineers
Related Stories
| May 25, 2011
Developers push Manhattan office construction
Manhattan developers are planning the city's biggest decade of office construction since the 1980s, betting on rising demand for modern space even with tenants unsigned and the availability of financing more limited. More than 25 million sf of projects are under construction or may be built in the next nine years.
| May 25, 2011
Olympic site spurs green building movement in UK
London's environmentally friendly 2012 Olympic venues are fuelling a green building movement in Britain.
| May 19, 2011
BD+C’s "40 Under 40" winners for 2011
The 40 individuals profiled here are some of the brightest stars in the AEC universe—and they’re under the age of 40. These young architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and developers stood out among a group of 164 outstanding entrants in our sixth annual “40 Under 40” competition.
| May 18, 2011
Stone Construction acquires Harden Constructors
The design-build firm Stone Construction LLC has acquired Harden Constructors Inc. The two companies have merged their full-service project design and construction capabilities to assist owners of office, industrial, manufacturing, warehouse, retail, educational and religious facilities, and developers of such facilities in prime office parks.
| May 18, 2011
8 Tips for Designing Wood Trusses
Successful metal-plate-connected wood truss projects require careful attention to detail from Building Team members.
| May 18, 2011
Major Trends in University Residence Halls
They’re not ‘dorms’ anymore. Today’s collegiate housing facilities are lively, state-of-the-art, and green—and a growing sector for Building Teams to explore.
| May 18, 2011
Former Bronx railyard redeveloped as shared education campus
Four schools find strength in numbers at the new 2,310-student Mott Haven Campus in New York City. The schools—three high schools and a K-4 elementary school—coexist on the 6.5-acre South Bronx campus, which was once a railyard.
| May 18, 2011
Eco-friendly San Antonio school combines history and sustainability
The 113,000-sf Rolling Meadows Elementary School in San Antonio is the Judson Independent School District’s first sustainable facility, with green features such as vented roofs for rainwater collection and regionally sourced materials.
| May 18, 2011
New Reform Jewish Independent school opens outside Boston
The Rashi School, one of only 17 Reform Jewish independent schools in North American and Israel, opened a new $30 million facility on a 166-acre campus shared with the Hebrew SeniorLife community on the Charles River in Dedham, Mass.
| May 18, 2011
Lab personnel find comfort in former Winchester gun factory
The former Winchester Repeating Arms Factory in New Haven, Conn., is the new home of PepsiCo’s Biology Innovation Research Laboratory.
