SUSTAINABLEASSIGNMENT

US COURTHOUSE

SHUBHAM (82)|ADITIYA (94)|JENEFA (74)|RAJ KUMAR (116)|REKA (100)|PREETHI JENISHA (105)

GEORGE C. YOUNG FEDERAL BUILDING
RENOVATION

LEED CERTIFIED GOLD

OPENED/COMPLETED 2012
AREA 202,000 ft²
COST $48,248,358

DESIGN ACHIVEMENTS

Opened in 1975, an aging George C. Young Federal Building and

U.S. Courthouse needed more than a facelift. The six-story, Late
Modern structure had fallen to second-class status and desperately
needed a strategic modernization to serve the evolving needs of its
constituents and meet more stringent code and security standards.
DLR Group's design made responsible use of public investment and
achieved high design quality through an elegantly simple exterior
addition in combination with clarifying interior renovations. The new
exterior tower reorients the building to address an adjacent park and
elevate it as a civic space. The tower also creates a new, iconic
architectural identity for the building in alignment with its existing
character. Interior renovations establish a new, dignified procession
through clearly defined and organized spaces.
SCOPE SUMMARY
The phased approach for this 202,000 SF renovation essentially stripped
the building down to its core and shell. The scope included a full exterior
restoration and new glazing, comprehensive HVAC upgrades
renovations to achieve sustainability targets and LEED Gold
certification, a new entry pavilion and stair/elevator tower, and a
reorientation of the entry and procession sequence. The interior design
added four new bankruptcy courtrooms and corresponding judges'
chambers, and new spaces for the Clerk of Court and U.S. Attorney. DLR
Group provided planning, architecture, engineering and interiors
services.

CONTEXT
Of the Late Modern or Sarasota style, the George C. Young Federal
Building and U.S. Courthouse (GCY) was erected in 1975 and is not yet on
the Historic Register. It was originally conceived of as a very efficient but
dense GSA multi-tenant building of approximately 187,000 BGSF over six
floors and a full basement. While not a great example of the Late Modern
style, the building’s detailed exterior skin presents much articulation and
character.
The GCY building occupies a 1.65-acre site within an 8.92-acre campus on the
western side of downtown Orlando. The campus also includes a new secure
parking structure to the southeast, a new U.S. courthouse annex (opened in
2007) to the southwest, and a secure park to the northwest. The annex faces
south, presenting the back side of the building to the park. Unfortunately, the
physical condition of the GCY building in combination with the siting of the
annex have positioned the GCY building in people’s minds as a second rate
structure.

The campus superblock itself sits one block west of

Interstate 4 and three blocks west of Orange Avenue, the
major north-south arteries through downtown. It is
bordered by the Parramore District to the west and the
Central Business District to the east. The Parramore
District is a transitioning area of Orlando, once defined by
industrial, low-income housing and vacant lots. However,
growth of the downtown core has steadily expanded to the
west, spurring positive transformation. Significant
structures in the area include the new Orlando U.S.
Courthouse Annex, a new arena, and the adjacent Florida
A&M Law School.
TRANSFORMATION
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, this $47.5 million
project consists of comprehensive interior and HVAC renovations to
accommodate four new Bankruptcy courtrooms, four new chambers, and Clerk of
Court and U.S. Attorneys spaces. The renovation comprises removing all interior
walls, ceilings, and HVAC systems down to the concrete structure, including
removal of hazardous materials. New exterior elements include the replacement
of the existing windows, new roof, additionally insulation, and the addition of a
new west entry pavilion and stair/elevator tower.
THE NEW TOWER
After analyzing existing conditions, the design
team determined that the addition of a
combined entry pavilion, stair, and elevator
tower to the exterior of the existing GCY
building best resolves key needs. Several
factors contributed to this conclusion. Neither
of the two existing egress stairs (located toward
the northeast and southeast building corners)
meet current code standards, with inadequate
handrail design falling short of the required
egress widths. While the simplest solution
would be to enlarge the stair shafts, the
inflexibility of the building’s post-tensioned
structural system makes this prohibitively
difficult.
The design team envisioned the new stair as a
sustainable commuter and egress stair
increasing vertical movement in the building,
particularly on the U.S. Attorneys’ floors and
between the Clerks’ and Courts’ floors..
Additionally it provides users with a unique visual interaction
with the building exterior and park
The existing undersized judges’ elevator located in the northwest corner of
the building was deconstructed and the structural slabs reconstructed.
These elevators were eliminated for two critical reasons: to maximize the
design of the four new bankruptcy courtrooms and to meet the area
requirements and segregated circulation patterns required in the GSA
U.S. Courts Design Guide. The new judges’ elevator are larger and sized
to accommodate maintenance/freight purposes and access to the roof.

NEW ENTRY PAVILION

The existing entry on the east side of

the building was completely
inadequate for the daily courts
operations. Entry queuing space was
undersized for today’s security needs
and lacked a formal civic entry
sequence. Also, the entry’s existing
proximity to a major street
undermined security setback
requirements. Relocating the entry
to the west side of the building
resolves these issues.
The new entry pavilion and stair tower
faces west onto the park while
addressing Washington Street to the
north. Pulling the tower westward away
from the existing envelope results in a
more harmonious intersection of old and
new structures. The new pavilion design
provides expanded interior queuing
space with sufficient security screening,
as well as overflow exterior queuing
space on the entry plaza. Additionally, it
enables a secure staff connection at the
basement level linking the GCY building
to the annex, as well as a new first-floor
visitors’ connection between both
buildings.
EXTERIOR FORM AND MATERIALS

The design restores the existing GCY building to its original design
character, including a base/plinth restoration, cleaning and repainting of the
exterior precast concrete panels, and new windows. The window frames will
replicate the existing pattern and finish, but with a high performance
painted finish. The glazing will be high-performance insulated units with
low-e glazing and a slight tint, while allowing valuable daylight into the
interior spaces.
The stair/elevator tower is conceived as a
contrasting, yet complementary addition. Although
the tower addition has a decidedly more modern
feel, the design team, with GSA’s input, has been
careful to integrate the GCY’s architectural
language into the tower without fully replicating it
The new tower’s color scheme reinforces
the relationship with the existing GCY
building and Annex. After studying
several color palettes, the design team
arrived at a solution cladding the tower
frame in a light-colored precast that is
brighter than the existing GCY building.
A champagne-colored metal panel, similar to one used on the Annex, will
clad the bridge element. This same metal color will be used for all curtain
wall systems for the new entry pavilion and tower, and the new window
systems for the existing GCY building. This choice establishes a
consistent mullion color throughout the building. All glass used in the
project will be minimal in color with a low-e coating to maximize
transparency.

The strongly vertical western

faceplate of the new tower
features a tapered edge as it
moves upward. This move
references the pylons located at
the four corners of the GCY
building. The top profile of the
tower also echoes the
crenellation present along the
parapet of the existing structure.
These changes give the tower a
more iconic presence in the
Orlando skyline.
The base of the tower features a reveal that suggests an upward
movement and registers with the scale of the entry pavilion. The roof of
the entry pavilion is articulated and angled to reference the angular
forms of the existing GCY building. Care was taken in the design of the
mullion patterning on the new stair tower to be sympathetic to the
proportions of the fins on the GCY building. Also, the articulation of the
plinth and entry pavilion incorporate a subtle version of the folded
language of the existing building and new tower element reappears in the
plinth and entry signage piece.

INTERIORS

The design completely transforms the

interior experience from the original
1970s office building into a spatially-
motivated and enhanced user and visitor
experience. The design implements three
major ideas: clear and well-defined
public spaces with a strong sequence
from the entry to the courtrooms;
introduction of natural daylighting; and
the use of high contrast interior finishes
to create dignified spaces.
Drawing upon the symmetrical nature of the existing GCY building, a main
public east-west corridor bisects the main elevator bank on each floor. On the
first floor, this corridor connects directly to the new entry pavilion. Here it
creates a new processional sequence into the building and serves as the main
building lobby, with care taken in defining appropriate spatial proportions
and height. On the courts floor, this corridor serves as the final part of the
procession into the courtrooms.
Unlike the original building (with its dense
plan, little natural light, and no sense of the
exterior), the renovated spaces exhibit a
planning logic that builds upon the idea of
the east-west corridor and its connection to
the exterior. On the courts floor, the idea of
a clear and simple circulation element
expands to the secure circulation around
the courtroom. Staff corridors track around
the east and west building perimeters,
harvesting light and views. A slight
adjustment or “flare” in the intersection of
the east-west staff corridors allows light to
penetrate deeper.
 The judicial chambers are located at each corner of the building and
arranged in a linear plan, which allows light to enter each supporting
room. A transparent feature clearly marks the entry to each chamber and
allows the exterior light to pass via the interior staff corridor.

A high contrast color palette both upholds the dignity of the courts and
reinforces perception of a brighter interior. In general the floors are the
darker materials: slate color tile in the public spaces and rich, dark natural
brown carpet in the office and courtrooms. Walls and ceilings are
predominantly off-white with the introduction of a light natural walnut
used on the lobby walls, courtrooms, millwork, and interior doors.