Portsmouth Judicial Center UPDATE
The new City of Portsmouth Courts facility includes the complete renovation of an existing one- and two-story office warehouse building along with a new three-story addition doubling the total building area. The facility provides 12 new courtrooms including six Circuit Court, three General District, and three Juvenile & Domestic Relations. The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office is also included as a separate portion of the building. The facility has two equal public entrances, both featuring large plazas and two story lobbies linked with the main corridor located at the building axis. The challenges of isolating the three circulation types in one story wings for public, staff and detention were successfully answered by innovative design.
The architecture derives from classical forms typical to the traditional courthouse design and is enriched by contemporary forms and elements inspired by American craftsman style. Materials used for the construction have been carefully selected to support the permanent nature of the project and reflect its dignity.
These are just a few of the recent shots of the project (currently under construction). We look forward to sharing images of the completed project soon!
– Mariusz Mijal