Franklin County courthouse saves $8-10 million on steel

The Franklin County Courthouse is getting a new home in the River South District of Columbus, Ohio. Targeting LEED Silver certification, the 350,000-sf facility will be one of the first green-built county courthouses in Ohio when it's finished in 2010. Architect DesignGroup, construction firm Gilbane, and structural engineer Shelley Metz Baumann Hawk were able to overcome a shortage of building materials by ordering steel early in the design process, saving $8-10 million on the $105 million project and shaving a year off the construction schedule.