United States Federal Courthouse, Seattle

Seattle, WA

Federal buildings must convey a sense of importance and civic presence, while also representing the responsible stewardship of public resources. Through the integration of federal courthouse design methods, workplace strategy consulting and energy efficient solutions, NBBJ’s design for the United States Federal Courthouse in Seattle stands as an icon of justice and democracy while saving taxpayers approximately $300,000 in annual energy costs.

The courthouse is the first in the nation to include universally sized district and magistrate courtrooms, reducing the total number of courtrooms needed. In addition, courtrooms are stacked two per floor, which enabled the design team to provide a community park, resulting in 10 times more open space on the site than required by zoning code.

Features

The 23-story tower design symbolizes the order and transparency of the judicial process. The tower is flanked by the judicial chambers and an office bar—a horizontal element that not only differentiates its purpose from the courtrooms, but relates it, along with the building, to the surrounding neighborhood.

Project Details

Client Name
General Services Administration (GSA)

Square Footage
615,000 SF

Program

13 district courtrooms, 5 bankruptcy courtrooms, 22 judicial chambers suites, administrative offices

Services
Architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, environmental graphic design

Phase
Complete

Sustainability
LEED Silver equivalent