Grand Opening: U.S. Federal Courthouse in San Antonio
Dedicated on April 20th, the San Antonio Federal Courthouse creates a dignified civic presence that celebrates San Antonio’s history and culture.
April 1, 2022In our built environment, courthouses remain that rare example of an iconic symbol for justice and integrity housed in a uniquely ordered architectural presence. In this courthouse, the design team crafted a courthouse whose clarity of purpose and permanence were strengthened by the presence of light.David Lake, FAIA
Principal, Lake Flato
The design team worked with the City of San Antonio, the General Services Administration (GSA), and several other Federal Agencies over twelve years to design a GSA Design Excellence project that represents the civic importance of a new federal courthouse while capturing the cultural identity of San Antonio. Delivering one of the nation’s most economically designed federal courthouses involved balancing the art of architecture with the science of high performance design. Currently on track to achieve LEED Gold certification, the Courthouse provides a compact footprint with light-filled courtrooms, workplaces, and a multi-purpose public atrium which maximize daylight for the benefit of building users. Energy-efficient and resource-conserving strategies reduce energy costs by 21% and provide an indoor water savings of 30%.