Clark Construction To Lead LA Federal Courthouse Construction

LOS ANGELES – The U. S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded Clark Construction and design partner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP, a $318 million design-build contract for the New United States Courthouse in Los Angeles. Design efforts are currently underway; construction is expected to begin in late summer.

The scope of the contract includes design and construction of a 550,000 square-foot court building in downtown Los Angeles. The new facility - referred to as the "Cube" because of its shape - will feature 24 courtrooms and 32 judicial chambers. A sky-lit central courtyard at the structure's core will provide natural light and circulation to the building's interior spaces. The Cube will be anchored by two levels of below-grade parking, as well as mechanical and back-of-house spaces. The courthouse will accommodate the U.S. District Court, U.S. Marshals Services, U.S. Attorneys' Office, a GSA field office, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Protective Services, and the Federal Public Defender.

The new courthouse is uniquely designed to address the Federal Government's blast and setback requirements. The project team will construct a structural frame for the Cube that sits back an entire bay around the first floor, providing for 36 additional feet of setback on each side of the building perimeter.

GSA requirements call for the building to achieve LEED® Gold certification, but the design-build team is aiming for LEED Platinum.  The building envelope will feature a high-performance faceted curtain wall façade. This system will give the courthouse a lively expression that changes throughout the day; it also will reduce radiant heat input through the building envelope and provide ample natural light to internal courtrooms and common areas. The plan optimizes the courts program and workflow and, ensures efficient operations and maintenance.

The project will be complete in April 2016.

Additional project partners include Syska Hennessy Group, Los Angeles, MEP engineer; AECOM, Los Angeles, interior courts planner; Newsom Brown Acoustics, Santa Monica, Calif.; acoustical engineer; Applied Research Associates, Santa Barbara, Calif., blast consultant; and Rolf Jensen & Associates, Anaheim, Calif., fire protection consultant.