Sundt has broken ground on the new Kings County Courthouse in Hanford, Calif., the company’s fifth capital project for California’s judicial branch. The four-story, 144,460-square-foot facility will include 12 courtrooms, a jury assembly room, and an underground tunnel connecting to the nearby county jail for transportation of in-custody detainees. The courthouse construction project will consolidate court services currently provided at several overcrowded and obsolete facilities that do not meet current security standards.
In addition to accommodating criminal, civil, juvenile and family law cases, the new courthouse design incorporates the addition of several helpful features, including a self-help center and family court mediation rooms. Security also will be vastly improved with the incorporation of separate hallways and secure facilities for the public, court staff and in-custody detainees.
“As this new courthouse will process several different types of cases, we’ve worked closely with the California Administrative Office of the Courts and architect DLR Group to carefully design a courthouse that is secure, and offers separation between court officials, inmates, visitors, victims and other members of the public conducting business,” said Sundt Senior Vice President Cody Pearson, who oversees Sundt’s California projects. “Privacy and security were top priorities to us as we planned the construction of this multi-use courthouse.”
The $86 million Construction Manager at Risk project will also feature an energy-efficient “thermal mass” HVAC system that will make ice at night, when energy rates are lowest. The ice will then be used to cool the building during the day.