The verdict is in: Sundt is using its criminal justice experience to build another state-of-the-art courthouse construction project for the California Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). The $93.4 million Porterville Courthouse in Porterville, Calif., broke ground in February 2012 and will be complete this fall. (Sundt’s contract is for $67.1 million.)
The project will be one of the first new courthouses in California equipped with a sophisticated audio-visual (AV) system that allows it to be monitored offsite via a statewide communication network. There will be no dedicated AV support staff onsite, so the design focuses on simple-to-use, network-enabled systems that require minimal support and maintenance. Enabling the AV system to interface with the high-tech security system is expected to be among the project’s biggest challenges, according to Sundt Project Manager Lars Fredrickson.
“The security system is really comprised of two separate systems: one for non-detention level spaces and one for the Sheriff Department’s detention areas, which will have cameras and touch screens. Our biggest challenge will be the coordination between the AV systems and the security systems, as well as getting the court staff initially trained and familiar with those systems because they’ve never used them before.”
The 96,000-square-foot facility will also include judges’ chambers, jury deliberation rooms, nine courtrooms, support services, clerk offices and work areas, public walk-up windows and queuing areas, a detainee holding area and sally port. With a goal of achieving LEED Silver certification, the new courthouse will be a modern, sustainable replacement for the current, outdated facility in Porterville.