Franklin County Courthouse

Located in the historic River South District of Columbus, the Franklin County Courthouse represents the American justice system for the citizens of Franklin County. The 350,000-square-foot facility is at the northwest corner of High and Mound streets. It replaced the 1970s-built county courthouse, which was located across the street. The design team was awarded LEED Gold certification for the project, making it one of Ohio's first green-built county courthouses. The complex includes sharp-angled, contemporary designs with seven stories of glass walls and grand corridors that offer a spectacular view. The structure's amenities include 30 common pleas courtrooms, ten magistrate rooms, a coffee shop, office spaces, and a sunlit waiting room for jurors.

Working with a fast-track construction schedule, the project team encountered some challenges with the availability of materials, which necessitated early delivery of structural drawings to facilitate ordering steel early. The design team also had to coordinate exterior column locations in advance to correspond with the façade of the building. Additionally, the project required collaboration to construct a mechanical penthouse on the roof.