United States Courthouse, Mobile
Project Title
United States Courthouse, Mobile
Alternate Titles
Federal Courthouse, Mobile, AL; Mobile Courthouse; United States Federal Courthouse Competition, Mobile
Description
The new courthouse is entered via a glazed portico extending westward as a colonnaded arcade and accommodating a grand stair that rises to every level of the building. The colonnade curves gently around the two-block site encircling a cluster of mature oak trees. The program features ten courtrooms and facilities including probation, pretrial, grand jury room, and offices for U.S. District Clerks, U.S. Marshals, U.S. Attorneys, and U.S. Senators. The principal block of courtrooms and support facilities to the south is complemented by a smaller-scale series of pavilions accommodating the judges' chambers to the north. Three-story-high garden walls echo the scale of adjacent buildings. South-facing public spaces, shaded in response to the severe climate and further protected by the oaks, are complemented by a linear light well providing daylight to all offices. The building's materials - light precast concrete and limestone - complement the dark green vegetation.

Images on this page: 1 Elevation view of model; 2 Elevation view of model; 3 Aerial view of model; 4 Site plan; 5 Site plan with light diagrams

Mobile, Alabama, United States of America

Timeline
between 2002 and 2010
Location
Completion Date
Notes
Client: U.S. General Services Administration;

Cost: US $79 million;

Size: 30,868 sq m (332,261 sq ft)

Competition: Won

Project Type
Creator
Safdie Architects
Rights:
© Safdie Architects. Explicit permission to use images is required. Contact the Communications Director at Safdie Architects (617.629.2100) for more information.