Given the historically sensitive environment of the Old Town district in Alexandria, Virginia, the design for this 515,000-square foot courthouse required satisfying the concerns of the City of Alexandria, the National Capital Planning Commission, and a variety of other community groups. It also had to pass design reviews with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), judges, and representatives of the U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal services. Another design challenge involved fitting the court's significant space requirements into the constrained site, which was met through the design of a 255-foot, 10-story tower flanked by two wings of five and three stories, respectively. The tower includes space for 15 courtrooms, judges' chambers, the offices of the U.S. Attorney, the offices of the U.S. Marshal, court support functions, and a 500-car, belowground parking structure. With security being a primary concern, the building incorporates motion sensors and detectors, a perimeter intrusion system, closed circuit TV monitoring, magnetic switches, metal detectors, a central command center, and three separate circulation patterns for the public, judges, and detainees. |
