San Antonio Federal Courthouse

A GSA Design Excellence project, the San Antonio Federal Courthouse creates a dignified civic presence that honors San Antonio’s history and culture while revitalizing the civic and cultural heart of downtown. Designed around a light-filled atrium that serves a variety of uses, the Courthouse expresses the region’s cultural spirit while exemplifying the order and calmness of the federal court system through its use of local vernacular and natural stone. One of the nation’s most economically designed federal courthouses, the Courthouse provides a compact footprint with light-filled courtrooms, workplaces, and a public atrium that enhances the health and wellness of occupants.

 

In collaboration with Alta Architects, SLAM Collaborative, and Brasfield & Gorrie.

It was remarkable to witness the degree to which the design team’s ideas were integrated into creative solutions that led to a beautiful and cohesive design for the new Courthouse. Functionally, the Courthouse serves the federal court system in meeting important day-to-day needs while culturally becoming a beautiful landmark building. Xavier Rodriguez

Former US District Judge

Rising four feet above the surrounding streetscape, the Courthouse rests upon a landscaped plinth of native plants that reference the agrarian history of the site and reinforce the significance of the Courthouse to the community. Visitors slowly ramp up past a tree-covered landscape to the entry portal, which aligns with the ancient Camino Real, emphasizing the Courthouse’s site as integral to both the historic and regional ecosystem. The project has played an instrumental part in the redevelopment of San Pedro Creek as a renewed community resource.

Inside the building, visitors enter the central atrium with an axial view to the 50’ by 15’ mural by Mexican artist Thomas Glassford. Great stairs lead visitors and potential jurors up to the jury assembly whose hovering glass bay looks out onto San Pedro Creek. Reflecting the ordered pilasters outside, 50’ tall interior pilasters frame views into the courtrooms through oak slats that warm the atrium while filtering light into the courtroom gallery from the continuous skylight above. Courtroom lobby balconies overlook the atrium, allowing both spaces to work in tandem by functioning as a multi-use space for large gatherings, events, and citizenship swearing-in ceremonies

Clerestories, skylights, and dormers create a light-filled environment that is inviting to a diversity of building occupants. Within the courtrooms, clearstory windows over the judge’s bench bring natural light into the space, representing the idea of transparency in the judicial system. The oak paneled courtrooms, intricately carved wooden well gates inspired by the late artist and craftsman Lynn Ford, and the studded leather wall behind the judge’s bench create a unique and distinctively South Texas courtroom experience.