ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG). Washington, DC: United States Access Board, 2002. [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.accessboard.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm.
The American Courthouse: Planning and Design for the Judicial Process. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 1973.
Appellate Court Facilities Guidelines. San Francisco, CA: Task Force on Court Facilities, Judicial Council of California, 2001. [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/reference/documents/Guidelines_Appellate.pdf.
Building a Better Courthouse: Technology and Design in New Court Facilities: Participant Guide. Williamsburg, VA: National Center for State Courts, Institute For Court Management, 2003.
California Trial Court Facilities Standards (draft). (2014). San Francisco: Judicial Council of California The California Administrative Office of the Courts has the responsibility for design, construction, and management of court facilities, and they have determined that it is prudent to develop standards reflecting the best practices and successful solutions for basic components of the trial court building. The (draft) standards listed in this resource will apply to the design and construction of court facilities.
Cooper, Eileen B. Widening the Courthouse Doors: Linking Citizens with Disabilities and Courts for Access to Justice. Fredericksburg, VA: Court Access Advocacy Coalition (CAAC), 1998.
County Courthouses. Courthouselover at http://www.flickr.com. This is a collection of photos of hundreds of county and parish courthouses taken by a person who appreciates their history, art and design.
Courthouse Buildings: Designing Justice for All. New York, NY: Architectural Record, 1999.
Courthouse Construction: Better Courtroom Use Data Could Enhance Facility Planning and Decision Making. (May 1997). Washington, D.C.: United States General Accounting Office This report outlines a study of selected judicial districts and courthouses to determine how often and for what purposes courtrooms have been used by U.S. District Court judges. It also examines what steps the judiciary is taking to access-space and courtroom-usage issues.
Courthouse Construction: Information on Courtroom Sharing. Washington, DC: U.S. General Accounting Office, 2002. [accessed July 2006] available at http://Purl.Access.Gpo.Gov/GPO/LPS38583.
Designing Court Facilities: Facilities, Space and Organizational Goals: Participant Guide. Williamsburg, VA: National Center For State Courts, Institute For Court Management, 2001.
Facility Guidelines for Technology in the Courthouse. San Francisco, CA: Judicial Council of California, Administrative Office of the Courts, 2002. [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/reference/documents/Guidelines_Technical.pdf.
Facilities Standards for Public Buildings Service. Washington, DC: U.S. General Services Administration, 2005. [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/GSAMAN/p100.pdf.
Fautsko, Timothy F. Entry Screening: The Court's First Line of Defense. (2008). Future Trends in State Courts. Universal entry screening of everyone who enters a courthouse - the public, staff, and judges - is an essential part of any court security program. NCSC's Security Assessment Team has developed a four-phase plan courts can use to implement universal entry screening.
Feiner, Edward A. Securing Our Future. (2007). Justice System Journal (Vol. 28, No. 1). The author presents a "philosophical discussion" of the effects that securing the country's courthouses will have on the public's perception of their government and other civic institutions.
Flango, Victor and Don Hardenbergh. “Courthouse Violence: Protecting the Judicial Workplace.” 576 Annals Of The American Academy Of Political and Social Science 8 (July2001).
Green Courthouse Design Concepts. Washington, DC: Public Buildings Service, U.S. General Services Administration, 1997. [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/SUSGSA/green2.pdf.
Griebel, Michael and Todd S. Phillips. “Architectural Design for Security in Courthouse Facilities.” 576 Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 118 (July 2001).
Gruen, Martin E. and Samuel H. Solomon. The High-Tech Courtroom: A Design Vision for the Future. Williamsburg, VA: Sixth Court Technology Conference, National Center for State Courts, 1999. [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Tech/ctc/showarticle.asp?id=36.
GSA Leed Application Guide. Washington, DC: U.S. General Services Administration, 2005. [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/GSAMAN/gsaleeda.pdf. Superior
General Services Administration. Courtroom Lighting Criteria Evaluation and Energy Use Study. Washington DC., March 2006.
Guidelines for New York State Court Facilities. (2009). New York State Unified Court System The New York Unified Court system provides this resource of rules for the Chief Judge which outlines the basic guidelines for New York State court facilities.
Hall, Nathan. Implementing Collegial Chambers as a Means for Courtroom Sharing. (2010). Future Trends in State Courts. The evolution of the courthouse work environment has dictated that architects and planners rethink traditional courthouse design arrangements. One significant trend is a shift away from traditional courtroom/chambers arrangements in favor of collegial chambers and shared courtroom configurations.
Hall, Nathan. Green Courthouse Planning and Design. (2009). Future Trends in State Courts. The field of courthouse planning and design is currently undergoing a transformation in the process by which buildings are conceived and built. The driving force behind this transformation is the changing environmental and economic landscape, which has created a national trend to build courthouses that incorporate sustainable building principles.
Hardenbergh, Don. Trends in Courthouse Design. (2004). Future Trends in State Courts. This article focuses on the future of courthouse design and includes such topics as child care, public access and accommodation, natural lighting, and planning for future growth and expansion.
Hardenbergh, Don. Virginia Courthouse Facility Guidelines. (2015). The Judicial Council of Virginia adopted these guidelines to initiate improvements in their court facilities. These guidelines will significantly enhance the ability of courts to discharge their responsibilities in a safe, efficient, and convenient environment.
Hardenbergh, Don, ed. Retrospective of Courthouse Design 1980-991. (1992).Williamsburg, Va.: National Center for State Courts This classic publication features courthouses of many different styles that were built between 1980 and 1991. Included in the retrospective are federal courts, appellate courts, general jurisdiction courts, limited-jurisdiction courts, and juvenile and family courts.
Hardenbergh, Don, and Todd S. Phillips, eds. Retrospective of Courthouse Design, 1991-2001. (2001). Williamsburg, Va.: National Center for State Courts. This classic publication features courthouses of many different styles that were built between 1991 and 2001. Included in the retrospective are U.S. courthouses, state appellate courts, general-jurisdiction trial courts, municipal and limited-jurisdiction courts, family and juvenile courts, and a section on renovations and additions.
Hardenburg, Don, Robert Tobin and Chang-Ming Yeh. The Courthouse: A Planning and Design Guide for Court Facilities. (1991). 154 pages. NCSC et al.Includes an overview of the stages typically involved in the renovation of an existing court facility or the construction of a new one and descriptions of the tasks of planning, design, bidding, construction, and occupancy. Note: The 2nd edition of this volume (1998) is available through the NCSC Library (NA4471 .H37 1998).
Hardenbergh, Don. Long Range Forecasting and New Courthouse Planning. Court Manager, Winter 2014, pp 22-31.
Hardenbergh, Don. “Protecting America’s Courthouses.” 44 Judges’ Journal 14 (Summer 2005).
Hobstetter, David G., et al. A Next Generation of Distributed Courts. Williamsburg, VA: Sixth Court Technology Conference, National Center for State Courts, 1999. [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Tech/ctc/showarticle.asp?id=40.
Justice for All: Designing Accessible Courthouses. Recommendations from the Courthouse Access Advisory Committee, November 15, 2006. U.S. Access Board.
InfoComm International. AV/IT Infrastructure Guidelines for Courts. The American Institute of Architects, Academy of Architecture for Justice, Washington DC, 2013.
Kentucky Court Facilities Criteria. (May 2007). Frankfort: Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts The Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts sets the criteria for court facilities eligible for AOC funding. This resource outlines the uniform space (facility) allowances for those court facilities eligible for financial support.
Kentucky Court Facilities Design Guide. (May 2007). Frankfort: Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts "This resource sets forth design guidance (requirements) to be used in the development of a design for Court Facilities, Court Support Facilities and Administrative Facilities within the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which are supportable, totally or in part, with Commonwealth of Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts funds. It is applicable to all construction projects, including additions, alterations, adaptations, rehabilitations, and conversions."--Web site.
Lochner, William. “The Americans with Disabilities Act and Courthouse Access.” 26 Justice System Journal 105 (2005). [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/Publications/KIS_AmeDisJSJV26No1.pdf.
The Michigan Courthouse: A Planning and Design Guide for Trial Court Facilities. Lansing, MI: Michigan Court Facilities Standards Project Advisory Committee, 2000. [accessed July 2006] available at http://courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/standards/#facility.
Nadel, Barbara A. Building Security: Handbook for Architectural Planning and Design. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
National Association for Court Management. Achieving and Sustaining the Green Court: 2009 Mini Guide.
National Institute of Building Sciences. NIBS hosts the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) and provides an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sector about the use of building science and technology. The WBDG serves as a gateway for building professionals to information on “whole building” design techniques and technologies. It is especially useful for information pertaining to federal courts.
Nebraska Courts Facility Planning: Guidelines and Standards. (1999). Supreme Court of Nebraska The Supreme Court of Nebraska has provided these guidelines to assist local and county officials identify and solve their facility problems in such a way to meet current and future needs. The standards for courtrooms and court offices are suggested for all renovations and new construction.
Pamphlet: IT Considerations for Courthouse Design. (April 2007). Supreme Court of Ohio. Technology Services Section. When building or renovating a courthouse, it is important to consider the implications of all today’s technology. Things such as networking wiring, telephone wiring, special facilities for the computers, and space for the IT Personnel are all important considerations. This pamphlet provides a brief overview of such issues.
Panero, Julius. Human Dimension and Interior Space: A Source Book of Design Reference Standards. New York, NY: Whitney Library of Design, 1979.
Peters, John O. and Margaret T. Peters. Virginia’s Historic Courthouses. (1995). University Press of Virginia. This book features 140 color photographs of Virginia’s courthouses and provides an overview of the history of 126 courthouses in Virginia. It traces the evolution of courthouse design, places the buildings in historical context, and analyzes the symbolic significance of Virginia’s houses of justice.
Phillips, Todd S. and Michael A. Griebel. Building Type Basics for Justice Facilities. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley, 2003.
Standard Level Features and Finishes for U.S. Courts Facilities. (1996).Washington, D.C.: U.S. General Services Administration, Public Buildings ServiceThis is a complementary document to the "U.S. Courts Design Guide." It establishes the baseline, standard-level features and finishes for U.S. courts facilities that are funded by the General Service Administration. It is intended to create a level of quality to determine costs.
Thacker, Gerald. Federal Courthouse. (2012). As part of design guidance from the Whole Building Design Guide, this resource provides information on attributes of federal courthouses. In addition to the traditional life-safety and health concerns common to all buildings, federal courthouse facilities must adhere to guidelines for their aesthetics, security, adjacency and circulation, barrier-free access, mechanical/electrical systems, automation, acoustics, interior finishes, and signage.
Tobin, Robert W. A Court Manager's Guide to Court Facility Financing. Williamsburg, VA: National Center for State Courts, State Justice Institute, 1995.
Twenty Years of Courthouse Design Revisited - Supplement to "The American Courthouse." Chicago, IL: American Bar Association Judicial Administration Division, National Center for State Courts, State Justice Institute, 1993.
U.S. Courts Design Guide. (2007). Washington, D.C.: Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Committee on Security and Facilities and the Subcommittee on Space Standards This guide serves as a planning tool for federal judges and key judicial personnel who are directly involved in the design of a federal court facility. Second, it provides relevant information for the General Services Administration (GSA) and an architecture/engineering (A/E) team to plan, program, and design a functional, aesthetically appropriate, and cost-effective court facility. Last, it provides policy guidance for the overall planning, programming, and design of federal court facilities throughout the United States and its territories.
Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards. Washington, DC: United States Access Board, n.d. [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.access-board.gov/ufas/ufashtml/ufas.htm.
Utah Judicial System Master Plan for Capital Facilities. Salt Lake City, UT: Utah Judicial System, n.d. The Utah Judicial Council has developed design guidelines and space standards to be used as a blueprint in the development of new court facilities and the renovation of existing ones. This online resource contains operational and facility planning guidelines, judicial design guidelines, and space standards.
Wong, F. Michael. Judicial Administration and Space Management: A Guide for Architects, Court Administrators, and Planners. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2001.
Yeh, Chang-Ming. Court Facility Accessibility Reference Guide. Williamsburg, VA: National Center for State Courts, State Justice Institute, n.d. [accessed July 2006] available at http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/Publications/CS_AmeDis_CtAccessibilitySect6.pdf.
Zeruba, John E. Courthouse Security - A Direction or a Destination?. (2007).Justice System Journal (Vol. 28, No. 1). To ensure that courthouses "meet today's standards of protection," the author outlines a three-step process that includes a threat analysis, a court facility site survey, and a court security committee.

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Planning and Design Topics

Planning and Design Topics