Winners of the 2008 Biennial Design Awards - GSA

WAYNE LYMAN MOrSE U.S. COUrThOUSE
EUGENE, OrEGON
Honor AwArd
ArChiteCture
rooted in the observation that recent American courthouses have eschewed iconic
symbolism and come to resemble generic office buildings, this new 267,000-squarefoot
federal courthouse outwardly conveys respect for the gravity of the judicial
process. To do this, the architects expressed the courtrooms as discrete object
buildings—a reference to an earlier model of the single-room courthouse. here
the courtrooms are the iconic elements, located in articulated pavilions that float
above a two-story, glass-enclosed plinth housing office and administrative space.
Their curvilinear forms refer to the fluid nature of the American judicial system—a
system designed to remain flexible through ongoing challenge and reinterpretation.
ribbons of stainless steel envelop the pavilions, articulating the movement that occurs
between the three courtroom clusters.
The courthouse is designed to attract people by its vitality, beauty, and complexity.
With its primary entrance facing Eighth Avenue, the building reinforces major
riverfront redevelopment plans for the area. A large roof overhang supported by
massive columns signals the main entrance. From there, visitors approach the public
areas on the second floor via a grand stair, ramp, or elevator. All paths lead into a
soaring atrium lobby that brings daylight into the heart of the building.
The soft forms of the wood-paneled courtrooms are constricted on the inside to direct
attention to the witness stand and judge’s bench. Jury boxes are partially recessed,
isolated in an articulated space that references the juror’s role as both observer and
participant. Natural light is admitted through large, thick-walled apertures—one
above the judge’s bench, one above the entrance that captures light from the atrium,
and one from the side. The effect is that of a freestanding building, a unique and
dignified place in which the court’s purpose is architecturally legible.
ArChiteCt
MOrPhOSIS
SANTA MONICA, CALIFOrNIA
gsA oFFiCe
NOrThWEST/ArCTIC rEGION
PUBLIC BUILdINGS SErvICE
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