The San Antonio Federal Courthouse, which opened earlier this year, replaces a courthouse that had been constructed as a pavilion for the 1968 World’s Fair. Serving the Western District of Texas—a 93,000-square-mile area stretching from San Antonio to El Paso—the new 228,000-square-foot Courthouse aims to serve as both a safe, secure facility and a welcoming public presence.
Designed by Lake|Flato Architects in association with Alta Architects (formerly Munoz & Company), the San Antonio Federal Courthouse sits two blocks from the historic city center. For 12 years, the design team worked with the City of San Antonio, the General Service Administration, and several federal agencies to design a facility that both represents the civic importance of a new federal courthouse and captures San Antonio’s cultural identity.
Four feet above the streetscape, the Courthouses rests on a landscaped plinth of native plants that reference the site’s agrarian history, while reinforcing the structure’s significance for the community. The eight courtrooms create an expression on the building’s facade, placing judicial leadership on metaphorical display. Visitors ramp up past a tree-covered landscape to the entry portal.
Inside, visitors enter the central atrium, which is overlooked by courtroom lobby balconies. Great stairs lead visitors and potential jurors up to the jury assembly. Clerestories, skylights, and dormers create an inviting, light-filled environment. Within the courtrooms, clearstory windows over the judge’s bench let in natural light, representing the idea of judicial transparency.
On track to achieving LEED Gold certification, the Courthouse has a compact footprint. Its energy-efficient and resource-conserving strategies reduce energy costs by 21% and provide an indoor water savings of 30%. The facility also features two electric vehicle charging stations.
On the Building Team:
Design architect: Lake|Flato Architects
Construction administration and landscape architect: Alta Architects (formerly Munoz & Company)
Design-build contractor: Brasfield & Gorrie
Design-build architect: SLAM Collaborative
Mechanical/plumbing engineer: Integral Group
Electrical/lighting engineer: CNG Engineering
Structural engineer: Datum Engineers
Survey/civil engineer: Pape-Dawson Engineers
![San Antonio Courthouse int](/sites/default/files/inline-images/San%20Antonio%20Courthouse%20int.jpg)
![San Antonio Courthouse int 2](/sites/default/files/inline-images/San%20Antonio%20Courthouse%20int%202.jpg)
![San Antonio Courthouse int 2](/sites/default/files/inline-images/San%20Antonio%20Courthouse%20ext%202.jpg)
Related Stories
| Feb 2, 2012
Shawmut Design and Construction launches sports venues division
Expansion caps year of growth for Shawmut.
| Feb 2, 2012
Fire rated glazing helps historic university preserve its past
When the University embarked on its first major addition since the opening of Hutchins Hall in 1933, preserving the Collegiate Gothic-style architecture was of utmost importance.
| Feb 2, 2012
Delk joins Gilbane Building Co.
Delk to focus on healthcare construction programs and highly complex higher education facilities for Gilbane Building Company’s Southwest region.
| Feb 2, 2012
Next phase of construction begins on Scripps Prebys Cardiovascular Institute
$456 million Institute will be comprehensive heart center for 21st Century.
| Feb 1, 2012
Increase notched in construction jobs, but unemployment rate still at 16%
AGC officials said that construction employment likely benefited from unseasonably warm weather across much of the country that extended the building season.
| Feb 1, 2012
Replacement windows eliminate weak link in the building envelope
Replacement or retrofit can help keep energy costs from going out the window.
| Feb 1, 2012
‘Augmented reality’ comes to the job site
A new software tool derived from virtual reality is helping Building Teams use the power of BIM models more effectively.
| Feb 1, 2012
New ways to work with wood
New products like cross-laminated timber are spurring interest in wood as a structural material.
| Feb 1, 2012
Blackney Hayes designs school for students with learning differences
The 63,500 sf building allows AIM to consolidate its previous two locations under one roof, with room to expand in the future.
| Feb 1, 2012
Two new research buildings dedicated at the University of South Carolina
The two buildings add 208,000 square feet of collaborative research space to the campus.