Elkhart County, Indiana
Courts Facility
For more than three decades, the Elkhart County Justice System operated courts out of two facilities, one located In the County Seat of Goshen and the other in its biggest city, Elkhart. Both facilities were very antiquated and could not adapt well to a 21st century, post-covid Courts operation.
Project Approach
- The County chose the Progressive Design-Build Project Delivery Method for a single team to develop and validate space and operational programming, design, and construct their new consolidated facility.
- CGL, our Courts Planner and Associate Architect, was asked to assist the County in defining what operational consolidation really meant to Elkhart County.
- The new operational program was converted into a space program suitable for a post-covid, technologically advanced Courts design utilizing the latest state-of-the-art concepts from around the country.
- Real-time budgeting and estimating from the Build team progressed together with the Design team to constantly monitor the project cost in a very volatile construction market.
Result
- The Courthouse consists of 173,000 square feet with a construction cost of $73,000,000.
- The four-story brick and stone structure commands the landscape and imposes a distinct civic presence.
- Each of the upper three floors are dedicated to each court type—Civil, Criminal, and Family Courts—providing an intuitive, efficient floor plate.
- Planned expansion will help provide a 100-year solution.
- The site has been master planned to allow further future development on the west side of the site.
Project Components
Client:
Elkhart County Board of Commissioners
Goshen, Indiana
Project Roles:
Strategic Planning & Space and Operational Programming; Architect of Record; Security Design Consultant
Project Team:
Securitecture, LLC; CGL; Associate Architects; Courts Planner; Byce & Associates; Arch. Support; MEP; Performance Services, Inc. Design-Builder
Key Accomplishments:
Consolidated two antiquated courthouses and operations located in two different cities into a single, modern court facility.
Elkhart County Courts Facility Floorplans
Elkhart County Courts Facility
