CMAA names new LA Courthouse as Project of the Year

The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) (CMAA) has named the new U.S. Courthouse at 350 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles as Project of the Year under the government category for projects valued at more than $50 million.

A total of 17 projects were recognized for excellence in construction management during the association’s National Conference and Trade Show in Washington, D.C. CMAA officials gave out awards to projects from different categories including government, healthcare, environmental , education, transportation and commercial.

The downtown LA structure spans 633,000 sq. ft. It houses 24 courtrooms, 32 judicial chambers, and trial preparation areas for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Public Defender. The new sustainable courthouse serves the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. General Services Administration.

Chicago architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the $343 million building. To maximize the use of natural daylight, each of the 10 floors were built around a central space where light floods in through an overhead skylight. Additionally, the courthouse’s serrated facade allows a north/south orientation that maximizes daylight harvesting and reduces solar heat gain by 47 percent.

Other sustainable features include high-efficiency building systems, water-efficient fixtures, green roofs over the jury assembly room and cafe, drought-tolerant landscaping, 105,000 gal. underground rainwater cistern for irrigation, and a roof-mounted solar panel array which can annually produce 525,000 kWh. The project is on track to receiving LEED Gold certification.

Clark Construction Group-California completed the project in 46 months, in October 2016. Texas-based Jacobs served as construction manager.