Fairfax County Unveils $120 Million Courthouse Expansion

FAIRFAX, Va. — Officials unveiled phase one of a $120 County Courthouse expansion and renovation project designed to consolidate judicial branches, enhance operations and modernize facilities.

The new 316,000-square-foot phase one facility will house 14 courtrooms and is designed to accommodate an additional three courtrooms in the future, officials say. The new building will also house the offices of the sheriff’s department and the commonwealth’s attorney.

Phase two of the project will renovate the existing courthouse to provide a total of 42 courtrooms as the Circuit, General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts are consolidated into one judicial complex.

A prototype courtroom developed in 2006 was used to pilot and test new courtroom technologies, including video arraignment and document scanning systems, which were integrated throughout the facility.

The presiding judge maintains control of all courtroom information technologies and systems, from monitors to microphones, via a touch-screen terminal. The integration of technology is designed to reduce operating costs and improve public and staff safety, officials say.

To reduce energy consumption, the design team incorporated energy-efficient lighting throughout the expanded facility and many courtrooms leverage natural light for daylighting.

In addition to sustainability considerations, the project team also focused on improving public spaces and traffic flow through the judicial complex, officials say.

An electronic wayfinding system will detail cases and court locations throughout the facility, and color-coded courtrooms will help differentiate judicial branches to further improve public access and wayfinding.

An internal landscaped courtyard is designed to provide court staff, officers and visitors with a calming, informal place of respite from the pressures of court activity, officials say.

Phase two of the project is scheduled for completion in 2009.