The master plan for the new U.S. Courthouse in San Diego integrates existing federal buildings, landscape, water features, public art, and pedestrian paths that promote the city’s downtown urban design goals.

Clad in layers of terracotta and glass, the architectural massing combines a slender and elegant sixteen-story tower that rises above a transparent and translucent building base. The ultrathin massing supports sustainable design strategies to daylight the entire building, incorporating principles of sustainable design and energy efficiency to achieve a LEED Gold rating.

In juxtaposition to the rectilinear tower, a light-filled building lobby is shaped and positioned to be visible from all approaches to the site, and serves to receive and redirect staff and visitors to the multiple courthouse destinations. The lobby and jury assembly are designed to be naturally-ventilated and take advantage of the idyllic San Diego weather.

At the tower floors, the two-courts-per-floor design eliminates traditional long corridors and gives human scale to the procession from entry to courtroom. This activity is visible from the public plaza and, through the building façade, expresses a dynamic and accessible judicial process.

The palette of materials and color of the courthouse
is inspired by the city and its Mediterranean quality of place. Façade materials include terra-cotta, precast concrete, and cast-in-place concrete, selected for their qualities of strength and permanence.

Credits

Design Team:
Michael Palladino
James Crawford
Mark Sparrowhawk
Tom Farrell
C. Hardy Aryan Omar

Building Photography:
Scott Frances, Tim Griffith

Public Art: Acrylic Prism, Hedge Wedge
Robert Irwin

Project delivered through
Richard Meier and Partners Los Angeles, 2015

Awards

2022 Honor Award in Art GSA Design Awards
2014 AIA Justice Facilities Review
2014 Citation GSA Design Awards
2013 LEED Gold - U.S. Green Building Council
2013 Energy Efficiency Integration Award - AIA San Diego Chapter
2010 Urban Planning – On the Boards GSA - U.S. General Services Administration