Design Achievement - The Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse is a clear example of the potential in the General Services Administration (GSA) Design Excellence Program. It represents a new generation of federal courthouses that are redefining the architectural values and expression of the Federal Judicial Branch. This DLR Group / Morphosis collaboration engages visitors in a symbolic narrative of movement beginning at a classic entry stair and portico, past a feature waterfall, into a soaring sunlit atrium space and, ultimately, up a formal grand staircase to the courtroom level. This space includes a grand hall offering panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, rivers, and landscape. The Morse United States Courthouse was recognized with an AIA Design Excellence Special Recognition Award, and a Progressive Architecture design award from ARCHITECT magazine.

Scope Summary - This courthouse was the GSA's first LEED Gold Certified new construction project. The 272,000 SF facility includes six courtrooms, associated chambers, and ancillary spaces. The first two floors above grade are composed of a glass-clad structure containing administrative offices that support the functions of the courthouse above. This portion of the building provides a plinth for the upper floors formed by three individual buildings, or pavilions. Each steel-skinned pavilion houses a pair of courtrooms and its respective chambers and support spaces. DLR Group was the Architect of Record and provided engineering services and construction administration for this project.