flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

High-rise Art Deco courthouse gets a makeover in Amarillo, Texas

High-rise Art Deco courthouse gets a makeover in Amarillo, Texas

Recognized as one of the most significant Art Deco courthouses in Texas, the Potter County Courthouse is modernized and restored to its 1930s aesthetic. 


By David Barista, Editor-in-Chief | October 15, 2013
The project restored the buildings courtrooms and public corridors to their ori
The project restored the buildings courtrooms and public corridors to their original, warm terra cotta hues. It also involved r

Completed in 1932, the Potter County Courthouse is recognized as one of the most significant high-rise Art Deco courthouses in Texas, and among the most prominent in the country. Local architect W.C. Townes, of Townes, Lightfoot and Funk, designed the eight-story structure with a terra cotta fac?ade adorned in decorative figural and botanical bas-relief depicting the region’s cultural and natural history.

After more than 80 years of use, the courthouse was long overdue for an interior modernization and exterior restoration. The $15.5 million effort was undertaken as part of the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, a state-funded program that covered about one-third of the project’s cost. It included a complete fac?ade restoration—including repairing and re-anchoring damaged units and replacing mortar joints—and an overhaul of the interior spaces to meet current building and accessibility codes and the operational and functional needs of the county’s administrative offices and courts.

The original mechanical systems were replaced with a four-pipe scheme utilizing a 200-ton chiller and 250-ton cooling tower. An additional 60-ton, air-cooled chiller was placed on the roof, and 12 air-handling units were located on the various roofs at the fifth, sixth, and eighth floors. The new system, combined with automatic controls and enhanced thermal roof insulation, is expected to reduce energy costs by 20% annually.

POTTER COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Amarillo, Texas

 
Building Team 
Submitting firm: JQ (structural engineer) 
Owner: Potter County 
Architect: ArchiTexas 
MEP engineer: Johnson Consulting Engineers 
Construction manager: Southwest General Contractors 
General contractor: Journeyman Construction
 
General Information 
Size: 62,390 sf 
Construction cost: $15.5 million 
Construction time: November 2009 to August 2012 
Delivery method: Design-bid-build

The Reconstruction Awards judges hailed the Building Team for its painstaking efforts in preserving the historical elements of the building while modernizing the structure. To accommodate the new mechanical systems and other modern amenities, such as fire/life safety systems, information technology infrastructure, and high-density shelving units, the team devised several creative structural solutions:

• Tunnel expansion. To preserve the courthouse’s original, first-floor terrazzo floors, the team utilized the facility’s underfloor utility tunnels to run new insulated piping. Deemed inadequate to handle the new systems, the existing tunnels had to be carefully reinforced and expanded. In total, more than 200 feet of concrete- and masonry-lined tunnel was added on to the existing layout, allowing for the terrazzo flooring to remain intact.

• Clay tile floor removal. The added weight of the rooftop mechanical units and high-density shelving meant that certain areas of the existing structure on floors two through six would need to be reinforced. However, because the plaster ceiling finish was applied directly to the original clay tile and reinforced concrete joist floor system, structural members could not be inserted below the original ceiling level.

The solution involved removing portions of the original clay tile forms to allow the installation of new steel beams constructed from steel T-sections between the existing concrete joists, thereby increasing the floor load capacity. The use of T-sections in lieu of standard wide-flange sections facilitated access for completion of field connections to the existing structure and the placement of non-shrink grout between the top of the steel members and the underside of the original floor slab to provide full load transfer.

• Use of CFRP strips. In order to accommodate new stairs, vertical chases, and mechanical infrastructure, numerous openings of various sizes had to be cut into the slab on floors seven and eight. The original floor structure on these levels is eight-inch reinforced concrete slabs spanning the concrete beams.

To maintain the structural integrity and continuity of the floor slabs, strips of laminated, 1?4-inch-thick carbon fiber reinforcement polymer (CFRP) were used to redistribute the loads adjacent to and around the openings. Larger openings for the stairs and chases called for additional reinforcement, and CFRP strips were placed on top or below the slab, corresponding to the tension zone of the slab system.

In several locations, strips were placed in both directions around the openings to properly distribute the load.

“We liked how the team carefully pre- served the clay-tile floor and the reinforced concrete slab with the strengthening schemes hidden out of sight,” said judge K. Nam Shiu, Senior VP, Director of Restoration Services, Walker Restoration Consultants (www.walkerrestoration.com). “They successfully provided up-to-date floor functionality while keeping the layout and look of the original building.”

 

The Building Team took careful measures to avoid disturbing the historical elements in the building. This included expanding an existing utility tunnel (above) and applying special structural reinforcement polymer to select concrete frame members (top). Photo: Brenda Bagot

Related Stories

| Oct 14, 2011

AIA Continuing Education: optimizing moisture protection and air barrier systems

Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and passing the online exam.

| Oct 12, 2011

BIM Clarification and Codification in a Louisiana Sports Museum

The Louisiana State Sports Hall of Fame celebrates the sporting past, but it took innovative 3D planning and coordination of the future to deliver its contemporary design.

| Oct 12, 2011

Vertical Transportation Systems Reach New Heights

Elevators and escalators have been re-engineered to help building owners reduce energy consumption and move people more efficiently. 

| Oct 12, 2011

Building a Double Wall

An aged federal building gets wrapped in a new double wall glass skin.

Office Buildings | Oct 12, 2011

8 Must-know Trends in Office Fitouts

Office designs are adjusting to dramatic changes in employee work habits. Goodbye, cube farm. Hello, bright, open offices with plenty of collaborative space.

| Oct 12, 2011

FMI’s Construction Outlook: Third Quarter 2011 Report

  Construction Market Forecast: The general economy is seeing mixed signs.

| Oct 12, 2011

Bulley & Andrews celebrates 120 years of construction

The family-owned and operated general contractor attributes this significant milestone to the strong foundation built decades ago on honesty, integrity, and service in construction. 

| Oct 12, 2011

Consigli Construction breaks ground for Bigelow Laboratory Center for Ocean Health

  Consigli to build third phase of 64-acre Ocean Science and Education Campus, design by WBRC Architects , engineers in association with Perkins + Will

| Oct 11, 2011

AIA introduces five new documents for use on sustainable projects

These new documents will be available in the first quarter of 2012 as part of the new AIA Contract Documents service and AIA Documents on Demand.

| Oct 11, 2011

Pink light bulbs donated to Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

  For every Bulbrite Pink Light Bulb that is purchased through the Cancer Center Thrift Shop, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to help support breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021