The Complex serves to substantively contribute to the urban revitalization of downtown Norfolk.
Home to the world’s largest Naval Base and the North American Headquarters for NATO, the historical seaport of Norfolk, is in the midst of an exciting urban revitalization. The downtown Civic Center Plaza will not only be home to the new Courts Complex, but will include a transit station for the region’s first Light Rail Project, known as “the TIDE.”
Norfolk Consolidated Courts Complex replaces three outdated, unsafe courthouse facilities. It is located in Civic Center Plaza and contains twenty-one courtrooms, along with all necessary support facilities, secure parking, and direct prisoner access to the existing jail. Colocating the three courts provides a safer, more secure and efficient building, while providing long term operational flexibility to accommodate the future growth needs of the courts.
A beautifully landscaped plaza is available to both city employees and members of the public alike.
The new complex was constructed in two phases:
- Phase I: Circuit + General District Courts followed by the demolition of existing courts
- Phase II: Domestic Relations + Juvenile Courts
Staged tenant occupancy allowed for ongoing activities at City Hall Plaza.
Award-Winning Design
- Awards for Excellence, Craftsmanship Architectural Precast Association, 2020
- 10-Year Retrospective, National Center for State Courts, 2010
USGBC LEED Certified
Sustainable design strategies included:
- Two bio-retention features capture and treat the first half-inch of rainfall, providing 50-percent removal efficiency.
- Low-flow lavatories and faucets contribute to 43-percent savings in indoor potable water use
- Site perviousness was increased by 80-percent
- Elimination of turf grass, increasing the size of rain gardens, and the use of native and locally adaptive plants reduced irrigation needs by 69-percent
- Energy savings are estimated at 25-percent of ASHRAE baseline
